Gods to Goode
by Percabethforev16
Summary: The Big Three gods are acting childish and squabbling over everything. Hestia, who is tired of the constant arguing, turns them into teenage mortals so they can "act their age" and sends them to Goode High where the seven, Thalia, and Nico are attending. What will happen when parent and child have to work together to solve Hestia's anger and high school problems?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello Readers! I would like to apologize in advance for any spelling, grammar, capitalization mistakes, and lateness/shortness of chapters as I only a twelve year old girl in 6th grade and currently writing another fanfic. Thank you for checking this out, it means a lot to me! I'm sorry if characters act OOC, but this is how they would act in my mind! Thanks again, read and review! Happy Reading! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and my OCs! **

Chapter1

Prologue

"Sea disasters are better than air disasters!"

"No, air disasters are better than sea disasters!"

"Earthquakes are better than both!"

"Mother Rhea liked me best!"

"Mother Rhea replaced you with a rock!"

"Only because she didn't want me eaten by our father!"

"I'm the oldest, Mother Rhea liked me best!"

"No, Corpse Breath, Mother Rhea liked me the best!"

"Mother Rhea liked me—"

"Just shut up for a minute, will you?!" Hestia shouted, interrupting the brothers' arguments. It was a terrible day at Mt. Olympus, with all the screaming and arguing. It just wouldn't do. "You are all _Olympians_! Gods! And you're acting like mortal teenagers! Until you can act your actual age, you're going to be the age you're acting!" With a flash of light, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades found themselves in mortal clothes.

"Hestia! This isn't funny!" Hades shouted, but his voice wasn't normal. Then he caught his brothers laughing at him.

"Corpse Breath! You should see yourself! Hestia turned you into a sixteen year-old mortal!" Zeus exclaimed while laughing.

"Not just me, Air Head, all of us are being punished," Hades said smoothly. His brothers looked down and groaned.

"Hestia! Change us back!" Poseidon yelled. Instead, they were surrounded in purple smoke and brought to a small apartment. On the fridge there was a note. Hades stormed over to read it.

"_Dear Brothers,_

_You will all be living here indefinitely. You will attend Goode High until you can figure out how to be mature. Please come up with a last name for all of you as well as a backstory. _

_Love, Hestia_. That's all," Hades said. The brothers looked at each other and wondered how they would ever get out of this mess.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I really am sorry about the shortness of that last chapter, but I needed a prologue. Just to warn you, updates will not usually come this quickly. But, thanks for reading! Oh, and I will finish this story, I don't do one-shots. Happy Reading! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. **

Chapter 2

Percy

"Seaweed Brain! We're gonna be late!" I opened my eyes to find Annabeth shaking my shoulders. I was in cabin three at Camp Half-Blood, the one of two safe places for demigods. It was after the Giant War and I had no idea why she looked so panicked until I saw the backpack in her hands. Did we get a quest? No, that's not it. Oh yeah, school! Chiron had suggested a few demigods going to high school and still staying at camp year round. But the first day wasn't until August 27th. Oh wait, today's August 27th.

"Annabeth, why didn't you remind me we had high school today?!" I jumped out of bed.

"I did," she defended. "I told you last night at the camp fire." I paused. I recalled a little bit of conversation about high school, but I heard the word "books" come out of Annabeth's mouth, so naturally I ignored everything she said.

Once I was dressed and had my backpack together, we headed to the top of Half-Blood hill. Argus was waiting with seven other demigods packed into his van. We rushed inside and were on our way in no time. Even though it was high school, I wasn't worried. My stepfather, Paul Blofis, was a teacher where we were attending. I had already gone my freshman year, so I knew some people. Besides, I was a senior; it wasn't like I was going to be attending multiple years. We pulled up outside and climbed out of the van.

"See you, Argus," Jason called. All nine of us walked inside to find bright and bubbly cheerleaders. I glanced at Annabeth, knowing some monsters could disguise themselves this way. But there were no attacks. The only problem was, we were all in different grades. Nico and Hazel were freshman, Leo was a sophomore, Piper, Jason, Frank and Thalia were juniors, and Annabeth and I were seniors. This meant we had all different classes. In the end, we gave in. After all, we all had someone else in our grade, except Leo who could make friends easily. We all split up, walking to different hallways to find our homerooms. I was in luck, because Mr. Blofis was my homeroom teacher.

"Ah, Percy," he said when we walked in. There were only a few other kids in the room, even though it was almost the start of the school day.

"Hey, Paul," I said. Annabeth and I took a seat near the back, which she didn't look too happy about.

"How do you know Mr. Blofis?" a guy in the seat next to me asked.

"He's my stepdad," I answered. The guy's eyes widened.

"That's awesome. He's, like, the coolest teacher here! I would love to have him as a stepdad," he said.

"My name's Percy Jackson," I said, extending a hand.

"I'm Joshua Boren, but you can call me Josh," he said and took my hand. The bell rang, interrupting our conversation.

"Already making friends on the first day, my, my Seaweed Brain," Annabeth muttered.

"Hey, I'm naturally charismatic, Wise Girl," I defended. She smiled and I smiled too. It felt so good to be normal kids for once, making friends in high school.

"Class, I'm going to take attendance now," Paul said from the front of the room. "Joshua Boren." A "here" could be heard from Josh as his name was called. "Annabeth Chase," Paul said with a smile. A lot more names were called but the only ones who answered were Abigail Wynne, Trisha Iris, Jessa Fire, and Mika Kawner. "Here are your schedules," Paul said while passing out pieces of paper. With a wink, he handed Annabeth and me copies translated into ancient Greek. "Your classes start in twenty minutes. Don't be late." With that, he returned to his desk and brought out a book.

"Wise Girl, what do you have first?" I asked.

"Latin, you?" Annabeth said. I brightened.

"I've got Latin too," I said. "Let me see your schedule." I grabbed it before she could protest. "We've got the same classes until the period before Gym where you have Architecture and I have Swimming. Oh well, it could be worse," I said. Annabeth grinned and I could almost see the cogs whirring in her brain as she thought of all the things she would learn in school.

"Well, Seaweed Brain, we've got twenty minutes to kill," she said. I smiled. High school wouldn't be so bad after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello Readers! Again, I'm sorry this is so short. I have not had a lot of time to update, but the review from Scarlet Sapphire Angel 15 asking me to update just warmed my heart. I was planning on making this longer, but I decided to give you a sooner and shorter update rather than a later longer one! Oh, and if you guys know about high school classes, please review and tell me because I really don't know. R&R! Enjoy! Happy Reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. **

Chapter 3

Third Person POV

It was the first day of term at Goode High, and lunch hour was particularly craved. Lunch was when students of different classes and grades got to converse and talk to one another, but none were more excited and surprised than the demigods. Everyone crowded one table and spent the first ten minutes telling each other about their day and inspecting the very strange lunches packed for them all. Within the first few peanut butter and ketchup sandwiches, tin cans, and pieces of bread, the demigods decided to get cafeteria food. Leaving their backpacks at their table, they got in line. To be honest, the school lunches were only a little more appealing than the ones sent from camp, but a demigod's got to eat. As they walked back and poked at their new food half-heartedly, they saw some familiar faces and stopped dead in their tracks. At a table near them were younger looking versions than the ones they knew, but certainly the same faces.

Percy, Thalia, Jason, Nico and Hazel stood with their jaws dropped and said, all together as if they had rehearsed it, "Dad?" The three gods turned and looked shocked. Poseidon was the first to recover, actually smiling at his son. Hades just scowled and muttered under his breath. Zeus looked appalled and confused and then relieved. The mortals who'd heard just shrugged it off and thought the new kids had said something else. Then, the mortals who'd heard assumed they'd heard right because the new kids were just standing there, looking like the end of the world was coming until the guy with the black hair and green eyes at the corner table waved them over.

All nine demigods walked slowly, as if in a trance, thinking that his couldn't possibly be real. How could the Big Three, the sons of Kronos, be sitting in their high school cafeteria and looking like teenagers? But as they approached they saw the supposed gods sitting regal and proud and not at all like teenagers. When they finally got to the corner table, Thalia, Percy, Jason, Nico, and Hazel bowed. "Father," Percy started in a voice low enough for their small group to hear but not loud enough for anyone to eavesdrop. "What are you doing here?" Poseidon chuckled.

"Is it a crime to see my son?" he said with a smile in his eyes.

"Yes," Zeus interrupted. "We're breaking the ancient laws. No direct contact or intervening with mortal affairs."

"Tell that to Hestia," Hades grumbled. "It's not our fault she sent us here."

"My Lords," Annabeth said in a gentle tone. "Why did Lady Hestia send you here?"

"Oh, something about us being immature or something of that matter," Zeus sighed.

The bell rang, cutting through the ears of those at the corner table and splitting their group. All the demigods were wondering different things. Hazel and Nico were thinking about how mortifying it would be to have to go to school with their authoritative father. Frank was thinking about Hestia and why she chose this particular form of punishment. Leo was thinking about why he hadn't noticed the three brothers before as they were in his class. Percy was thinking about how he would get to know his father with this strange situation. Annabeth was thinking a million thoughts about how to solve this mess. Jason and Thalia were just nervous to find out how their father would act around mortal kids. Piper was just thinking that this would be good for the gods, teach them a lesson on how mortals actually behave.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm SOOOOO sorry! I had a bit of a cold and then tons of homework for the past week so I have not been able to write that much. My friends at school were planning to kill me if I didn't write more. Anyway, Abi in this chapter is based on one of my best friends, the book worm daughter of Athena. I would like to thank Guest for their review and idea that really made me happy. I'll try to write more but I do have another fanfic going and I need to update on that one too. Thanks to all my readers. R&R(please! I really like reviews! Plus, they make me write faster!) Happy Reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. **

Chapter 4

Annabeth

The first half of the day was easy. First class was Latin which was a breeze considering I had met almost all the things mentioned in the textbook. Then, it was Calculus which I had mastered being an architect. Next was Philosophy, where we learned about the philosophies of ancient Greece. And then it was lunch. Seeing all my friends was great. Seeing the big three gods, not so much. When we got back to class, Percy was white as a sheet.

"You okay, Seaweed Brain?" I asked. He nodded, but he still looked shaky.

"I'm fine, Wise Girl. It's just… so weird to see him here, looking like that. I don't know if I can manage this," he said.

Our chemistry teacher started talking, putting thoughts of gods to one side and bringing forth chemicals and what not. Chemistry was alright, even if Percy did explode his test tube. But then, it was the class I had been anticipating. Architecture.

I walked in to find only one boy in the entire class. My teacher, Ms. Cleo, was a nice looking woman who cared a lot about her books. I heard that one girl got detention for dog earing a corner of one of her paperbacks.

"Now, class," Ms. Cleo said sharply. "Today we will be looking at Greek columns. Can anyone tell me the names of all three Greek columns?" With a groan, I put my hand up.

"Yes, Miss Chase?"

"The three forms of Greek columns are Doric, which is the basic ones at the Parthenon, Ionic, which have a little more carved decorum than Doric, and Corinthian which are the most elegant columns, show carved leaves or flowers, and are part of the capitol buildings' structure," I said without even thinking.

"Excellent description, Miss Chase," my teacher said with grudging respect. "I have never in all my years of teaching had a student who could name not only all three columns correctly but describe them as well. You, my dear, are going to be an amazing architect, I can tell," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. I blushed and looked down to avoid the stares from the rest of the class.

"Take out your note books. Try to create a balance between modern sleek and ancient Greek columns," Ms. Cleo said. I took out my designs for Olympus which were already a perfect balance of modern sleek with the incorporation of the gods' old Olympus.

"Wow. How'd you do that?" I turned to see a girl peering over my shoulder. Her gray eyes changed in the light from green to misty blue and back to gray. Her honey blonde hair was the exact shade as mine and I wondered if she could be my half-sister. But, no, she was what, 18? She was too old to be a half-blood.

"I did a summer camp a while ago. They put me in charge of a big project. We're basically creating a Mt. Olympus," I said. Not a lie, but not the whole truth.

"Mt. Olympus? Awesome! I'm kind of a huge Greek mythology nerd," she said shyly.

"Really, that's cool. I'm a Greek mythology nerd too," I said warmly.

"Wow, only Jessa, Trisha, Mika, Heidi and I are Greek mythology nerds in the entire school. By the way, I'm Abi Wynne," She smiled and I smiled back.

"Annabeth Chase. So, who's your favorite deity?" Her eyes lit up.

"I love Athena! If I was a demigod, I would be her daughter. I think it would be cool to have a goddess as a mom, but I don't think I could handle knowing there was a force out there, controlling what happened in the world. If I truly believed in gods and monsters, I wouldn't be sane. I would always be looking for someone to blame," Abi said. I could tell this girl, this shy, book-worm, friendly girl knew more about her world than she was letting on. I studied her face. Beneath her bright and bubbly surface was something more, something darker.

"Have you looked into monsters? You know the Chimera, Echidna, that sort of thing?" I asked, trying to draw back her attention.

"Absolutely, I've read every Greek mythology book within a ten mile radius. I know a lot about monsters and how to defeat them. I know about the famous heroes of ancient times: Heracles, Orion, Perseus, Theseus. Did you know the head of Medusa—?"

"Still has its power even when it becomes a spoil war, yeah," I interrupted. I did not want to talk about Aunty M.

"Good to meet you, Annabeth," she said.

"You too, Abi," and I really meant it. I had made a friend. Now, to get back to this god thing.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Surprise! To make up for not updating for so long, I decided to update early! I am currently at my grandparents' house in South Dakota! Updates will be coming faster because there's not much to do up here except to watch TV. I'd like to thank AnnaCromwell for their review and really good ideas! Seriously, reviews make me write faster! R&R! Happy Reading! Happy Memorial Weekend! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. **

Chapter 5

Leo

High school, to sum it up, was strange. It was normal in the sense of bullies and snobby rich kids and weird girls who dress inappropriately, but the teachers actually seemed to listen to what I had to say. I wasn't the trouble-maker anymore, I was the smart kid! It was so weird, weirder than even the Big Three gods showing up. But I did have another problem to deal with.

Calypso had been on my mind ever since we had defeated Gaea. Zeus had promised to free her, but I wasn't so sure he had lived up to his word. I planned to change that. Class was about to start when two girls came in, arguing about something. They sat down next to me and I couldn't help but over hear their conversation.

"You have got to be kidding me! How can you think Ares is better than Hephaestus?" the one with the purple glasses and bushy, wavy hair said.

"Dude, Ares is the god of _war_; Hephaestus is the god of metal smith. Seriously, there's no competition," the one with the sports get up and curly hair said.

"Not to intrude or anything," I tried. They snapped their heads and looked at me with piercing eyes. "But I couldn't help over hearing your conversation. And Hephaestus is definitely better than Ares." The first girl looked me up and down and extended her hand.

"Katie Kerts, glad someone agrees with me," she said. "We have an ongoing argument with our friend David McGinley. He agrees with me too. Natalie here is totally anti-Hephaestus." The other girl rolled her eyes.

"Hi, Katie, I'm Leo Valdez, the most awesome Hephaestus lover ever. You guys know anything else about Greek mythology?" I said.

"Yeah, we—" I stopped listening. Not to be rude or anything, but the three gods just walked in the door. Zeus just looked really awkward, Poseidon was grinning broadly, and Hades was scowling and muttering under his breath.

"Leo?" Natalie asked. "You okay?" I shook myself out of my stupor.

"Yeah, I just… saw something," I covered. I was really surprised when Zeus separated from his brothers and walked over. "I'll be right back," I said to the girls. I got up and met Zeus at an empty desk.

"My Lord, what can I do for you?" I asked him, trying to lighten the mood.

"Mr. Valdez, I have never been good at upholding promises. When Jackson asked me to pardon those peace friendly Titans, I admit I forgot about them. But, I will live up to my oath. You do wish Calypso freed, yes?" the king of the gods rung his hands nervously and I couldn't help smiling.

"Yes, my Lord Zeus," I said.

"Very well, I'll see to it she is brought here."

I went back to my seat, still smiling.

"Leo, are you okay? You look like you just won the lottery," Katie said.

"Oh, I'm fine. I had some…family matters, but everything's cool now," I said, thinking how great things would be.

Third Person POV

The popular kids of Goode High were gathered for gym, all of them together on one team. Now, Goode High thought it was good for the students to make friends with those from a different grade, so gym was the period when kids from different grades were pulled into one class. The football jocks and cheerleaders thought they were going up against a bunch of uncoordinated nerds, but they had no idea what they were about to fight.

"We'll be playing Capture the Flag to start our year, kids," the gym teacher yelled. "Annabeth Chase, Riley Brocker, you're captains." Annabeth smiled to herself so did the most popular and makeup covered girl in the entire school, Riley Brocker.

"I want Percy," Annabeth said immediately.

"Brian," Riley countered.

"Piper."

"Joe."

"Jason."

"Caleb."

"Hazel."

"Andrew."

"Frank."

"Jessica."

"Leo."

"Emma."

"Abi."

"Kat."

"Natalie."

"Tiffany."

"Katie."

"May."

"Jessa."

"Carly."

"Mika." The list went on and on until all popular kids were on Riley's team and all demigods were on Annabeth's team. Sadly, the Big Three gods had a different gym class and were not available. But, Annabeth had made sure her friends were with her.

"We'll be going outside for this. Go to the woods by the soccer field. Once you reach the creek, you've found the boundary line. North side is Riley's team, south is Annabeth's. Try not to kill each other," the gym teacher said and unlocked the doors. Annabeth quickly pulled aside her friends and warned them not to use their powers.

"By any means, no lightning, shape shifting, fire, water or tunnel usage. Piper, feel free to charmspeak them. I don't care, but don't make it noticeable. Percy, do not use Riptide no matter how annoying they get," she warned. They all nodded. "Gather up!" she called to the rest of the group.

"Annabeth, put Jessa on the attack," Mika said. "She's really fast."

"Am not!" Jessa said, blushing. "Abi has a plan, though. Her plans _never_ fail."

"Okay, Abi, tell me what you've got," Annabeth said.

"We need to put the smallest at the front line. Send Natalie, Jessa, Hazel and Leo. I'm assuming they're fast but the other team won't expect it. Make sure they go around on the left flank and put Percy, Jason, Frank, yourself, and Katie in the center to make a distraction. Piper, Mika and I will guard, leaving the rest of the woods open for the retreat with the flag," Abi said.

"That's…really good," Annabeth responded. Annabeth had a different plan, but it would have to be used as backup as it was too complicated for this mortal game. "Percy, work your way around to the back, be ready to recover for defense to make them think they're attackers are getting through. Confuse them." Everyone nodded.

"Ready? Advance!" Abi yelled. Hazel, Jessa, Natalie, and Leo snuck out to the left while the other boys, Katie, and Annabeth stomped down the middle, slightly to the right.

On the jock side, there were arguments breaking out as well as flirting. Riley was trying to maintain control but was failing desperately.

"Brian! Get over here! Kat, stop batting your eyelashes at Joe and listen! Tiff—"

"Everybody shut up!" Brittany yelled. Everyone turned to her and fell silent. "We need a plan. Okay, how about we put the boys at the front line and the girls follow them. Riley, Kat, and will guard. Go!" Brittany was the only person on the entire team that could make a plan, even a mediocre one like that. But the jocks weren't known for their brains. All the boys rushed out in no formation what so ever while the girls giggled and followed. In no time, Brittany, Kat, and Riley were talking and braiding their hair.

"OMG, I can't believe he said that!" Kat gasped when Jason and Percy burst into their small clearing. Frank was right behind them, but Annabeth and Katie had decided to stay back, to allow the small attention span of popular girls focus on the boys.

"Oh, hi guys," Riley said like she didn't care. She was studying them all like puppies she was choosing to take home with her. "Your Percy right?" Riley stood up and walked over to Percy, putting her hand on his chest. Annabeth growled. Katie had to hold her back before she blew their cover. Kat looked at Jason and apparently decided to drool worse than Percy because her mouth was salivating like there was no tomorrow. Brittany just turned away, but Frank caught her eye before she could dismiss him. And that was what caused Hazel to sprint into the clearing, grab the flag, and speed out again.

"Guys, I think we should go after the flag," Brittany tried. Riley and Kat just ignored her and continued flirting with the boys. So, Annabeth decided to defend her boyfriend.

"Hi," she said brightly. "Thank you so much for finding him! We were looking everywhere!" Annabeth put an arm through Percy's and smiled at Riley who was gaping. "Oh, you didn't know? We got your flag. Game's over. Come on boys, we need to get back to class. Bye!" She dragged the boys back through the woods and to the creek where Hazel was just crossing into friendly territory. Her team cheered and high fived Hazel who just grinned. She stalked over to Frank and started to talk, but he just leaned down and kissed her.

It was very sweet and short until Leo shouted, "Get a room!" Everyone laughed and it seemed like things were finally normal for the demigods.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow, it's been a long time since I updated! I'm sorry for no doing it sooner, but I was waiting for an review and then in had a soccer tournament and simply did not have time! Any way, thanuks to jb for their AWESOME review! I will try to write faster, but there might be a few grammar mistakes as I will be writing on Google Drive and not Word. Thanks to all my readers, R&R! Happy Reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

Annabeth

Why here? I had asked myself that question over and over again. Why here? Why had Hestia sent the Big Three here? Was it to bond with their demigod children? To see the mortal way of life? To teach them a lesson? I had a hunch on how we could get them back to normal, but I knew it wasn't anything special. They had to act like gods, end of story. Ever since the Giant War, the brothers had been spending more time together on Olympus, acting more and more like mortal brothers. There was no magic, no quest to solve this problem. The magic would be when the three brothers started acting civil towards one another.

"Annabeth, Annabeth are you listening? Annie!" I snapped out of thoughts to find Thalia's hand waving in front of my face.

"Sorry, Thals, just thinking. What's up?" I studied her face. The Hunter had been over joyed to find her little brother alive after the Giant War and hadn't stopped smiling.

"Just…my father. I've never been close to him at all. Especially after I joined the Hunters. Seeing him here is so strange. Have you got an idea how to get them back to normal?" Thalia said. I paused before answering. On one hand, Thalia might be happy she knew how to save her father. On the other, she might be so frustrated there was no easy fix.

"There isn't," I said. Her eyebrows shot up. "Hestia sent them here to act maturely; there is no way to fix it. She has to deem them worthy of coming back to Olympus for them to actually go back. Until then, we're stuck with them." Thalia groaned and put her head in her hand.

"So, I'm stuck with my dad until he can act like a god? Great, hello to the rest of my life!" she banged her head on the table until Jason showed up.

"Talking about dad?" he said, slapping his lunch tray. He put his elbows on the table, his head in his hands.

"Uh huh," Thalia moaned. I took out my lunch; it was packed from camp so I wasn't expecting much. And I wasn't surprised to find it full of hay.

"Who's packing the lunches?" I asked.

"I don't know, but they need to stop. Did you see what my dad did today?" said Percy. He dropped into his chair with a grimace on his face. "I was walking through the halls and he just came up to me and put a hand on my shoulder. It felt super weird, considering he looks like three years younger than me. Then, he talked about getting to know me and all that summer-camp-sentimental-hellhound-dung." Percy grinned after he told his story.

"Why are you so cheerful?" Jason grumbled.

"I finally know what it's like to be embarrassed by my dad," he said.

"I wish I still didn't," Thalia moaned. The rest of our small group of nine came over, Piper sympathizing with Jason, Leo trying to crack some jokes, and Hazel and Nico ranting about their father.

"Hey, you're Percy right?" a boy had walked over and was standing awkwardly. Percy turned around.

"Oh, yeah, you're Sam?" he said. The boy nodded.

"Our coach wanted me to tell you swimming tryouts are next week. He saw you in class and wants you on the team," Sam delivered the message and ducked out. I punched Percy's arm.

"Did you use your powers?! Someone could've seen you!" I hissed. He winced.

"Relax, Wise Girl, no one noticed. Do you think I should join?" he said. I considered this for a second.

"I don't see why not, if you can keep your powers under control. No staying under the water for too long, no swimming at the speed of sound, and no controlling the water. I don't want to hear any anomalies from the pool. Got it?" I scolded. He nodded. "In fact, I think we should all join after school activities. Leo, what's..." but Leo wasn't hearing a word I said. He stood up and walked over to the cafeteria door as if the only thing in the world that mattered was standing right there. I followed his gaze, but didn't see anything. He stopped right by the hallway and seemed to be gesturing behind him. Suddenly, a girl with caramel brown hair and almond shaped eyes came peeking into the lunch room. I heard Percy gasp slightly and Hazel and Piper say "Ohhhh" like some big problem was solved. I realized the relationship between Leo and this girl just as she kissed him. Leo beamed a smile I hadn't seen since before Percy and I fell into Tartarus and led the girl over.

"Guys, uh, this is Calypso," Leo said with a sheepish grin. Percy shifted uncomfortably in Calypso's presence.

"So, Khione sent you to Ogygia," Jason said. Leo nodded.

"Why didn't you tell us you had a girlfriend?!" Piper squealed.

"Piper," I reminded, "Your Aphrodite is showing."

"Sorry, I'm just really happy! But seriously," she talked around the side of her hand, like she was trying to have a private conversation. "Him, really?" Piper pointed at Leo like he was pond scum. Everyone laughed except for Leo who gave an indifferent huff.

"Come on guys, give him a break. Here, I'm Jason Grace," the son of Jupiter held out his hand. Calypso looked uncertainly at it and then gingerly shook it, like she thought it was going to bite her. "This is Thalia, Nico di Angelo, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Piper McLean, Annabeth Chase, and—"

"Percy Jackson," Calypso breathed. "Long time no see." Her voice didn't have any venom, but it had lost some of the warmth it held when talking to the rest of us. I studied her. Her almond eyes had turned sad and her face showed she was on the verge of crying. Then, I looked at Percy. He refused to meet her eyes, looking at the table and fiddling with Riptide. I could tell he was nervous, pushing down his feelings and wasn't willing to let anyone in.

"Percy, how do you—?" He cut me off before I could finish my question.

"Mt. St. Helens. That's where I was," and he got up and left the cafeteria. Realization sunk into me.

"What does that mean?" Hazel asked.

"Do you remember the explosion on Mt. St. Helens a while back?" I started. They all nodded. "Well, that was kind of our fault. We had gotten there through the Labyrinth to do a favor for Hephaestus and the place was crawling with Telekhines. We split up and Percy somehow caused the volcanic eruption. He was missing for two weeks. We gave up on him and we were about to burn his burial shroud when he just strolled into camp." Nobody looked that surprised. They all knew Percy could blow up a country; a mountain was nothing with his track record. Except Calypso. She was biting her lip, tears swelling in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked her. Instead of answering she got up and ran after Percy.

Percy

First it's my dad and then Calypso? Why don't you just invite everybody and call it a family reunion? Things had been going pretty well before this mess, actually. By the end of the first day, I had looked to the bright side (Shocking, right?) of my dad being stuck at my school and had actually enjoyed myself. But this? I didn't think I could handle it. Calypso would always be my biggest what if? My open door that could've led to a better life. Of course, I was happy with my choices. I had chosen Annabeth and the dangerous life of a demigod and I was fine with that.

When I left the cafeteria, I had no idea where I was going to go, just that I needed to get out of there. I wound up wandering the halls of the freshman wing. I went into the gym where I had seen Rachel Elizabeth Dare for the second time and into the band room that I had set on fire. There were still scorch marks from the demon vampire cheerleader Kelli. Just when I mustered my courage to go back and talk about my time on Ogygia, I ran smack into Calypso. She was crying, round tears forming streams down her face. Her brown eyes bloodshot and puffy. Had she been looking for me?

"Percy, I…" she tried, wiping her face on her sleeves.

"Had to get out of there, I know," I finished. She nodded. "Look, I'm sorry, Calypso. I wanted to stay with you, I did. But the war needed me. Annabeth needed me, and I needed her. I couldn't just leave my friends to face an impossible battle. And, I tried to convince Zeus to free you. I guess he did. How do you know Leo?" A small smile crept onto her face and she looked at me.

"He told me a snow goddess blasted him from his ship. He landed on Ogygia and blew up my dining table," she said. I knew that was all I was going to get of her.

"Well, Leo does blow up a lot of stuff. Come on, let's go back," I take her hand, not in a romantic way but the way a friend might do. We walk back to the cafeteria where our friends are anxiously waiting. For a while, we just talk about school, about the Big Three, about things that don't matter and that's fine with all of us. The bell rings, splitting us up until gym. I head to my next class, nervous for swimming and I try to concentrate on what my teacher is saying, but I can't listen. I can't focus on anything but the strange familiarity of a boy sitting across the room.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello readers! I only have one more day of school left! Summer break, here I come! Luckily, this means I will get to write more! Thanks to jb, 123percabeth, and The Reading Messenger for their reviews and to all my readers for being, well, my readers! Hope you have a great week! R&R! Happy Reading! Enjoy! **

**P.S. Reviews make me update, I really like getting them! PLease review!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned the Percy Jackson series would I be writing on a site meant for ****_fans_****? No, I am not freaking Rick Riordan!**

Chapter 7

Hazel

The more time I spent with the mortal friends we had made in gym, the more I thought they were demigods. But that couldn't be. Six more demigods added to our nine? That would attract a lot of monsters. But still, I couldn't help noticing their half-blood traits.

Trisha was most likely my sister. Precious metals sometimes popped up under her feet too and she was shy and quiet like Nico and me. Mika was most definitely a daughter of Apollo. Her archery was flawless, even though she had never taken a lesson, and her poems were outstanding. Abi was Annabeth's sister, no doubt. Her eyes were bluer at times, but her honey-blonde hair and amazing grades were all Athena. Natalie was probably a daughter of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory and speed. She was fast and good at all sports and always seemed to win. Katy was a daughter of Iris, with her rainbow colored eyes and her determination. But Jessa? I had no idea. She was smart like Abi, but had a knack with sports. She had a fiery temper, like a daughter of Ares but also had a habit of holding grudges. She told me she was a good swimmer and was constantly loyal to her friends. She didn't like boys and stood for family. Overall, I was stumped.

"Hazel, what's wrong?" I didn't realize I was scowling until Nico pulled me out of my thoughts. I shook my head.

"Nothing. Just thinking about Abi, Mika, Katie, Natalie, Trisha and Jessa," I told him. He frowned.

"What about them?"

"They're not mortals. They all obviously have traits of a godly parent. But how have they stayed around so long? Why hasn't the camp claimed them?" I said.

"For now, why don't we focus on the current problem? We'll worry about that after Dad is sent back to Olympus, okay?" I sighed.

"Okay," I wondered how we were ever going to get happy-go-lucky Poseidon, paranoid Zeus, and downright murderous Hades back to the way they were supposed to be.

Annabeth

It was Zoe Nightshade. The boy, sitting across the room from Percy and me, was a perfect resemblance of her. Striking features, dark brown hair and light tan skin. But he also resembled Bob. His silver eyes had lost a little of the shine our Titan friend had, but they were still shockingly bright. Then I remembered, Iapetus was Atlas' father. Zoe was his granddaughter.

"Percy," I whispered. "That boy—"

"He looks like Bob, I know," he whispered back, tears I his eyes. "But he also looks like Zoe."

"Seaweed Brain! Iapetus is Atlas's father! Bob is Zoe's grandfather!" I hissed at him. He looked a little confused and then realization sunk in.

"That's just... weird," Percy said, causing me to laugh a little louder than I meant to.

"Miss Chase, what's so funny?" our teacher, Mr. Blanchard asked. I cursed myself for being so stupid, but I wasn't paying any attention to the teacher. This was math class and, being a daughter of Athena and an architect, I had already mastered Calculas.

"Just an inside joke, sir," I said, preventing an explanation.

"Do youknow what else is funny? This college level problem. Care to tell me the punch line, Miss Chase?" he said, his voice a deadly calm. I studied the board. It was a simple trigonometry problem.

"The answer is 2cosec^2(x), sir," I said. His mouth dropped open, his beady black eyes bulging. "But I don't get why it's so funny, if a girl who wasn't even paying attention can solve it on the second day of school." Mr. Blanchard looked taken aback and so did the rest of the class. Only Percy was smiling, actually chuckling at my comment.

"Tone down the death glare, Wise Girl," he whispered. I hadn't realized my stony expression until he pointed it out. I relaxed the muscles in my face, my eyebrows loosening, my gaze softening.

"To continue on with the lesson, we will be reviewing more Triginometry, but tonight there will be no homework," the teacher said, filling an awkward silence. This was followed by meager cheers and the class filed out into the hallway. Unfortunatly, Riley Brocker was standing outside the math classroom.

"Hey Perce," she said in a nasily voice. "I hear your trying out for swim team, I bet you'll make captian." It was like she was trying to be made fun of. Her face was caked in a pale foundation too light to be her natural skin tone. Her eyes flashed with fake lashes and way too much pink eyeshadow. Her top was so low cut and so short, it almost looked like a swimsuit, and the bright neon pink mesh of a garment over it was just painful to the eye. Her shorts were so high on her legs you didn't have to look behind her to tell her but was ahnging out. Her six inxh stillettos heels looked like torture devices from the Feilds of Punishment. To top it all off, her hair was so dyed, artificially altered, and sprayed it looked like a peice of fabric.

"Um, thanks?" Percy said and tried to get away from her. I grasped his hand and led him off, but Riley caught my arm and forced me to let go of Percy's.

"Listen, Anniebell," she hissed. "Percy is mine. If make another move on him, I will personally make your senior year the worst you've ever had. Got it, freak?" That hit a nerve.

"You listen, Riley," I retorted. "I have a name, use it or leave me alone. Second of all, didn't you notice Percy and I are dating? He's already mine. If you so much as look at him in a way I don't like, I will torment you for the rest of your life.. You have no idea what kind of damage an angry person like me can do, so if I were you, I'd back off." SHe snorted.

"Like you could do anything to me. I bet you are and always will be the class nerd, a silly girl with no friends and no idea how the world actually works," she said with a smug little smile on her lips.

"You wipe that smile of your face before I smack it off," I growled. "I know more about this world than you ever hope to dream and if I told you, you would go insane. I have done things that everyone else in this school combined will never do. I have impacted your life so much, as it would completely fall apart if I wasn't here to pick up the pieces you and your smug little rich family break from the world. You have no idea, no shred of imagination that could possibly tear me down or protect yourself from my wrath. Beware, Riley Brocker, you have made an enemy with a dangerous girl. My family, Percy's family, will not let you walk away unharmed if you so much as scratch one of us. Got it, delusional mutt?" The girl before me nodded and scrambled away. I turned to find Abi and Jessa clapping.

"Way to go, Annabeth!" they told me.

"Riley was the meanest girl in school. It's about time someone took her down," Abi said.

"Wait 'till I tell the rest of the gang what you did! You'll be even more popular now!" Jessa bubbled.

"Even more? Was I popular before this?" I asked stupidly, which was not something I did often. Jessa rolled her eyes.

"Well duh! Practically half the boys were drooling over you the minute you stepped onto campus! Now come on, we've got to get to gym!" They dragged me off and I wondered if what they said was true. Would people really like me after this?


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello Readers! I am trying to update every day now because it's Summer Break now so I have more time! I am writing another story currently, though, so I won't have that much time but more than I did before. Thanks to all you guys! Happy Reading! R&R! Enjoy!**

Chapter 8

Leo

Things were looking up now. Not only did I have an amazing girlfriend, but she provided a good insight on the whole Big-Three-stuck-as-teenagers-thing. Calypso was, frankly, flabbergasted when she saw Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades sitting in our school cafeteria. More so than seeing Percy. It was actually comical how she dropped to one knee and started babbling thanks and how it was a pleasure to be in their presence.

She and Frank really hit it off when I told him Calypso made the fire-proof pouch his lifeline was currently in. Piper had talked to Calypso about clothes and makeup and all that girly stuff daughters of Aphrodite are really into. Personally, I tuned out their conversation. As soon as Annabeth had shown Calypso her list of must-read books, I constantly found her nose in one or the two girls talking about a sudden plot development. The others weren't as friendly but weren't mean at all to Calypso, even if she was Atlas's daughter.

The gods were a different story. Almost every class I had, the gods were in. Math, Chemistry, Latin (they were extremely offended in that class), Music, History, all except gym. One day, in Latin class, a boy said Hades was lame and Poseidon had to hold him back. Said boy is now not at school, something about broken ribs. The biggest surprise was when a huge hellhound leaped in through the window in the cafeteria and shot over to our table.

"Mrs. O'leary!" Percy cried, being knocked to the ground and covered in dog drool. "What are you doing here, girl?"

"You have a hellhound... for a pet!" Jason asked.

"Long story," Annabeth responded. "He kind of inherited her from a really great person." Then a small harpy with red wings fluttered through the hole in the window. She whispered something in Percy's ear and flew off again.

"Mr. Jackson?" our dean, Mrs. Ramirez, was marching towards us. "Is that your dog?" from her frown you could tell she despised all and every student she taught. Thalia snapped her fingers.

"No, ma'm. This is only a stray that jumped through the window and back out. You're lucky no one got hurt," she said.

"Just a stray," other people echoed.

"No one got hurt," Mrs. Ramirez muttered. "Back to lunch, everybody!" she screeched and then tip-tapped her way back to the teacher's lounge. Mrs. O'leary bounded back through the smashed window and out of sight.

"What was that about?" Frank asked. "Why was Ella here?"

"Ella said more gods are going to be coming by to check on the Big Three. This is going to be even more mortifying," Percy groaned. Then he looked worried as he turned to Annabeth. "What if your mom shows up? I can't take the risk of being blasted!" Annabeth just laughed.

"Don't worry, Seaweed Brain," she said. "Nothing's going to happen to you as long as I'm here."

"Besides," Piper reminded. "My mom wouldn't allow it. She's worked so hard trying to get you two together. Uh oh, what if she comes and gives us all makeovers?!" Piper turned pale. "I cannot come to high school wearing something my mother deems appropriate."

"We'll just have to bring a spare change of clothes every day, then," Annabeth said. "Come on, it's almost time for our next class." We went our separate ways; Calypso and me going to Latin, Percy and Annabeth going to math, Piper, Jason, Thalia, and Frank going to music, and Nico and Hazel going to History.

Piper

Music class was boring. All we did was learn different tunes to play on the piano or the acoustic guitar or the drums. It was all so basic, so I didn't listen until class was over. Then it was time for gym. The coach, Coach Collins, reminded me a bit of Coach Hedge, but it was only his height. Coach Collins was about 5' 3" with a stubbly beard and a baseball bat, but he never threatened the students with it. He didn't call them cupcakes, thank the gods, and he wasn't a satyr as far as I knew. But still, there was an air of protectiveness about him that reminded Piper of the keepers at Camp Half-Blood.

As I headed into the locker room she saw Jessa, Abi, and Annabeth talking. Probably discussing a book or article. I dismissed it and changed into her gym clothes. It was only when I was exiting the locker room did I hear the scream. Mika and I ducked back inside, my hand on the hilt of my dagger, just in case there was a monster. But there was no monster. There was only three girls huddled against a wall shrieking and pointing to a spider.

"Kill it," Abi managed with a shaky voice.

"Not again, Abs. You need to get over this fear. You too Jess," Mika said and walked over to the spider and put her shoe on it. "See, it's dead now." There was a sickening crunch that made me want to puke. Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of spiders, but that one was pretty big.

"It's a phobia Mika!" Jessa said, still trembling. "An irrational fear. You can't make it go away by thinking rationally."

"You okay?" I asked Annabeth. She nodded.

"Yeah, just... spiders," she shuddered. "Ever since Arachne..." she didn't have to finish her thought.

"It's okay," I said and she followed me out of the locker room.

Percy

I was joking around with Jason, Frank, and Leo when I heard Annabeth scream. My first thought was Monster. But when she and two other girls came out unharmed, but shaken up, I got curious. I walked over to her to find her hands shaking.

"Alright, Wise Girl?" I asked. Annabeth shuddered.

"Spider," she said.

"Oh, Annabeth," I said, putting an arm around my shoulder.

"Arachne's children have been coming after me more and more. I'm scared, I'm scared a poisonous one will find me," she said.

"WIse Girl, I will never let that happen, understand?" I said. Her eyes welled with tears and she nodded.

"Thanks, Seaweed Brain," she murmered.

"Come on, Wise Girl, Coach says we have a surprise today," I pulled her along to the rest of the class.

Coach Collins' surprise, was dogeball. As if that could be a real surprise, let alone a good one. "I want you all to learn how to throw with power and accuracy" he had told us, as an excuse. I think he just wanted us to do something while he read a mafazine in his office. We were on the same teams as last class, which was a good thing. Before we split up, I heard a girl's nasaly voice laughing.

"Did you see her face! I can't believe she's scared of spiders too! That was just meant for the nerds!" Riley said while she and her friends laughed their butts off.

"You put that spider in the locker room?" I asked.

"Yeah, make you want to consider someone who isn't afraid of bugs?" Riley raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips.

"Not even for one second. That was really mean to Annabeth, not to mention Jessa and Abi. You should lay off them," I said, wrinkling my nose when she suggested I go out with her.

"What's it to you?" she retorted. "If I pick on them."

"Annabeth is my girlfriend! Abi and Jessa are my friends! If someone is purposely tormenting them, it's my problem too," I spat. "You do anything like that again, you'll pay." With that I stalked off toward my friends.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm so sorry guys! I've been in Estes park all weekend with no electricity so I could not write a single thing, plus my summer days have been really busy with seeing friends, relatives, and my sister got me totally hooked on Japanese anime movies! You should really try some Studio Ghibli movies, they are really weird but really good! Anyway, thanks for all of you who reviewed, all of them brighten my day! I'd like to give a special mention to ro781727 whose idea is in this chapter and Guest(anyone who reviewed under that name), forever-fangirl-PJO-HP, and Robin Stanley for being plain awesome! Keep up the reviews and I'll write more! Thanks! R&R! Happy Reading! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I forgot to do this in the last chapter, but I am not Rick Riordan, nor do I own PJO for this chapter, the one before it, or the entire story!**

Chapter 9

Annabeth

Riley had it out for me in doge ball. Luckily, her arm was terrible. Every time she tried to throw a ball, it landed ten yards away from her. I, on the other hand, actually managed to get people out. I could tell Jason was helping our team by controlling the winds, shifting courses, giving extra height, and adding power to throws that would never have succeeded without him. It was so satisfying to see a jock's surprised face, and a "nerd's" elated one, every time they got out. By the time gym was over, I had almost forgotten about the spider incident. Almost. I probably would have put it down as a coincidence, not a prank, had Percy not told me Riley did it. I passed the information on to Abi and Jessa who looked furious. After we had stormed out of the gym, we caught Riley alone.

"What the heck, Riley?" Abi asked. "You know Jessa and I have arachnophobia."

"It was a joke, geez," Riley said and then smiled like we were all best friends. "Why don't we forget this whole incident, hmm?"

"No," Jessa snarled. "It wasn't just a joke. It was retaliation, anger, jealosy, and revenge put into a simple act that scared us. And it was really mean of you to do that." Jessa shook her head."Gods, what happened to you, Riley. We used to be friends! What happened to the sweet girl who didn't wear 50 layers of make up every day and wore decent clothes? You've changed too much." Jessa looked her up and down, as if trying to find the person Riley was before. "No wonder Brian dumped you." And then Riley raised her fist and punched her in the mouth.

"Riley!" Abi yelled. But Riley was on a roll.

"You want to know where the little girl in me went, nerd?!" she screeched. "When you started geeking-out with this freak," she gestured to Abi, "and left me behind! You want to know why I changed?! I found out friends never have your back and the only way to stop people hurting you is to hurt them!" And then I felt my hand slamming onto her nose.

"Don't you dare call her a freak!" I hissed. "You're the one who should be considered abnormal. You think she abandoned you, she made a new friend! You want to ruin their lives just becuase you couldn't have Jessa all to yourself?! Even on the incredibly foul scale I judge you, this is a new low, Brocker. Don't come near me ever again." I was about to leave when she called.

"You're all freaks, the lot of you! The only reason you even have friends is becuase they're freaks too and they want to join your little freeak-club. You could never, not to save your life, make a normal friend," I saw her, nose bleeding, hair ascew, as another threat, another bully not willing to take me serriously for who I am. I wouldn't take another load of hellhound crud from another fake, barbie girl like her. I lunged.

Punch after punch I threw at her face. I think I broke her nose, maybe her jaw too, but I was furious. I held her by her hair and slammed her head into the lockers on the wall behind her. "This is only a fraction of what I can do. Don't mess with me or my firends or I will do much worse. Do we have an understanding, Brocker? " I was about to throw another punch when a stern voice caught me off gaurd.

"Now, Annabeth, is the way to treet your peers?" I turned and saw someone I was not expecting to see, at least here. Her steely gray eyes turned on Riley's. "What did you do to my daughter?"

Riley had detention for a week. The principle called it "mental torment of peers" and "physical violence" which meant she bullied Abi, Jessa, and me and punched someone. I, on the other hand, got off easy. I had detention for one day, and I could choose when to have it too. After breaking her jaw and her nose, I think I should've gotten a far worse punishment than Riley. But I didn't argue.

"Annabeth got in trouble?" was the question asked by all my friends when I told them what happened. Once I got into more detail the response would be this, "For punching someone? Oh, that makes more sense."

Apparently, people really respected my taking down Riley, they would give me a smile as I passed in the halls, sit with our little group at lunch. Except her group of make up addicts, of course. They would trip me in the hallways, sneer at me and call me a freak or a nerd. They didn't bother me one bit.

What Athena was doing at my school, I had no idea. She was probably checking up on the Big Three, and lucky for Riley she was. without her interference, I would've smashed her skull in. Speaking of the Big Three, they were doing well in school. Poseidon had joined the swim team with Percy, Zeus was on the soccer team with Jason, and Hades had perfect grades. But us demigods? We were doing fine, well, most of us anyway. Take today at lunch for example.

"For the last time, I am not emo!" Nico was telling Thalia while the rest of us giggled behind his back.

"Where something with a color and I'll believe you," Thalia answered.

"Black is a color!" Nico defended.

"Actually, Nico, black is a shade," I put in.

"See," Thalia said like a seven year old.

"Thals, you're one to talk. All you where is silver and black," Percy joked.

"Well, you know I'm not emo. Death Breath, on the other hand? I could buy it," Thalia said.

"I'M NOT EMO!" Nico shouted. Thalia just made talking motions with her hand.

"Are they always like this?" Abi whispered to me.

"Unfortunately, yes," I said. "They are cousins, you know."

"Really?" she said.

"Oh yeah, Percy Jason, Nico, Thalia, and Hazel are all related to one another. Jason and Thalia are brother and sister, Nico and Hazel are half-siblings, and they're all cousins with Percy," I told her. "Now that I think about it, Leo's dad and Piper's mom are married. Not that they've had any contact with those parents, though, they do act like brother and sister."

"Wow, they look almost nothing alike. Are you sure Jason and Thalia are siblings?" she said. I nodded.

"Their mom died a few years back. So did both of Hazel's and Nico's, actually. Oh, and Leo's and Frank's." Abi looked concerned.

"That's so sad. How do you all know each other? Did you go to the same school or...?" she asked. I wondered how to answer this.

"Well, we're all practically live at this... boarding school for kids with ADHD and dyslexia, they take care of us, help us out. I've been living there off and on since I was seven. It doubles as a summer camp during breaks, though," I said. Not a total lie, but not the whole truth.

"That's awesome! It would be so cool if they had that for kids who don't have ADHD and dyslexia," Abi smiled wistfully.

"Well, not everyone there has ADHD and dyslexia, it really depends on who you are, who your family is. Frank is only lactose-intolerant, but he has attention problems, like the rest of us. You know anyone like that?" I've discovered asking people if they have attention problems is actually a good way to find demigods. She considered this for a moment.

"Well, we all are hyper most of the time, we meaning all those in our little group, and Mika has ADHD, but none of have dyslexia." Wow, six possible demigods in one school, all interacting with one another for nearly seven years. It's no wonder monsters haven't attacked yet. I'd have to mention this to my friends later, though, because it was time for class.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm soooooooooo sorry, guys! I've been at my grandparents' house for the past WEEK! Plus, my nine year old cousin really enjoys playing with me so I've had virtually no time to write! Thankyou to all who have reviewed, there was too many to name! I love hearing your soments about my story! Also, check out the story A New Summer by TeachingGods, it's fantastic! Anyway, I apologize if I can't update as soon as I used to because my summer is literally jam-packed! I will try to do one every week at the least if I can, though. Thankyou all of you guys who have stuck with me! Enjoy!R&R! Happy Reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians!**

Chapter 10

Leo

"Calypso Olympia."

"Here."

"Hades Olympia."

"Here."

"Poseidon Olympia."

"Here."

"Zeus Olympia."

"Here."

"Natalie Smynk."

"Here."

"Leo Valdez."

"Here." I was bored to say the least. It was English class and I only put up with it becuase Mr. Blofis was Percy's step-dad and he knew all about us demigods. He would always give me a copy translated into Ancient Greek that Chiron sent him with a wink and a smile. Right now, we were reading the Iliad and mortals could try the ancient Greek version if they wanted to, so I was impressing most of my classmates. But it was still torture. Everytime I was about to fall alseep my friend Natalie would snap her fingers in front of my nose, jolting me awake. She claimed my snoring distracted her, but I knew she was just helping me out. Don't get me wrong, she didn't like me that way, she knew I was with Calypso, but we had grown close during the few weeks we had known each other and she seemed like my sister Nyssa back at camp. She was also a complete nerd. Her sporty dress and athletic build was the only thing that seperated her from her friends, but don't let that fool you. She constantly talks about books and worries about her grades and stuff like that. She even offered to tutor me after school in biology, the class I sucked in the most.

"Alright class," Paul said, knocking me out of my stupor. "Turn to page 153 and read through 183. Answer the questions on the board. You have until the end of class to complete this. Anything not done is homework. You may work in pairs." That made things much easier. I partnered with Calypso, Hades with Zeus and Poseidon, surprisingly, paired with Natalie. I could hear her laughing and casaually talking with the god and I wondered if Poseidon could sense if she was a demigod. I'd have to ask Annabeth later.

Calypso was great at answering the questions. She told me she had met Homer (one of the treats my father had granted her was meeting any famous author and reading their books) and enjoyed his book greatly. She had discussed with him the Trojan War itself and knew almost everything about it. We were done in no time and just talked for the rest of the period.

"Calypso, do you resent your father?" I asked. Her face hardened.

"He made his choice and I supported him becuase I was loyal to my family, but milenia on Ogygia has taught me the lesson I most needed to learn: the Titans are cruel. They stand for nothing but power and pleasure. The gods at least care for the world they belong to and are kind, mostly. So, I do not just resent my father. I resent my entire family, all except my cousins, the gods," she said. Her answer surprised me, she didn't talk about her father often. "Come on," she said, changing the subject. "It's time for lunch."

"Annabeth, can gods sense a demigod?" I asked, whispering so our other friends couldn't hear.

"I think so, why?" she said, frowning.

"I believe we have some new additions to camp, but I'm not entirly sure-" I was cut off by Katie calling my name.

"Leo!" the girl said. "This is our friend David McGinely, he's a Heaphestus lover too!" I looked over the boy, smiling at his friends. He had brown hair, tanned skin and brown eyes, like Jessa. In fact, I almost thought they were siblings.

"Hey, I'm Leo Valdez, nice to meet you," I said, holding out my hand. He shook it, but almost immeadiatly let go becuase Jessa was pulling on his arm.

"David!" she said and hugged him feircly. "I haven't seem you in forever! Did you just get back from your...trip?" He nodded. That's why I haven't seen him around school.

"Yeah, it went great," David said.

"Have you seen Heidi?" Jessa asked again, her eybrows furrowed.

"No, not her or Marshall. I hope they're alright," he said. THey shared a look, but then pretended everything was fine. SOmething was going on between them, something big.

"Are you two related?" Annabeth asked, noticing the similarities between them. They threw up their hands in exasperation.

"Why does everyone think that?!" Jessa asked. "It's either we're brother and sister or we're dating! We're just friends, people!"

"Best friends since first grade," MIka reminded them. "I'm surprised you aren't dating." They both gagged.

"Ew! That's like saying I'm dating my brother! We're just FRIENDS!" she said, causing laughter between the group.

"Don't mind her," Katie said. "We always tease her about it and she's getting a little tired of our jokes." smiled. Jokes were a thing I could relate to.

"SO all of you love Greek mythology?" Hazel asked.

"Yes," they all answered at once. I chuckled.

"Who would be your godly parent, then, if you were a demigod. Don't tell me who you're favorite deity is, just the one you would think would be your parent," Hazel finished, studying them closely.

"Well, I know I would be a daughter of Athena," Abi said. "I love to strategize, learn, and my friends certainly think I'm smart enough. I'm also deathly afraid of spiders." I saw Annabeth nodding.

"I'd be a daughter of Nike," Natalie said. "I'm fast, I play a lot of sports, and I'm always in for whatever is just and right." That sounded like her.

"I'd be Iris," Katie said. "I love all sorts of colors and I always seem to be delivering messages for my friends." The last part she said with a glare to specified people.

"Hephaestus," David said. "I'm good with machines and fire..." I had a feeling he was telling the truth. This guy was probably my half-brother and he knew it too.

"I'd be Apollo," Mika stated. "I'm good at poetry, not at singing, but I'm pretty good with a bow and arrow, I know a lot about healing, and I've never been sunburned in my life, not even when I went to a beach in Hawaii for eight hours and forgot to put on sunscreen."

"I think I'd be the daughter of Pluto. I'm basically a human metal detector. I always find earrings or bracelets or other kinds of precious metal incorporated into ordinary objects," Trisha said.

"I honestly don't know," Jessa said. "I've taken quizzes to see who my godly parent would be, but they all say different things everytime I take it. I've been told I'm smart, I'm a good swimmer, I'm a decent shot with a bow and arrow, I hold grudges, I'm good at poetry, I'm always upset whenever a storm rolls around, I'm fast, I'm good at lying, I sort of have a fashoin sense, I'm good with engineering and fire, I have a pretty bad temper, and I'm good with plants. Any thoughts?" she asked, facing us with a sheepish expression. Annabeth was frowning, but the rest of us looked clueless. I didn'tknow what to make of her, but I could tell she wasn't mortal. She and David had been best friends since first grade and he knew about the mythylogical world which meant she probably knew too. If she was anything special, he knew what she was. but the expression on her face told me she didn't know herself. I glanced at Annabeth, but she was deep in thought.

"Well, you're right. I don't know what you'd be either," Hazel said, filling the silence. "You have some elemants of a child of Hades, but you're too bright for that. If I had to pin-point something, I'd say Poseidon or Athena, but there's something else in you too, something we're missing."

"What about you guys?" Abi asks.

"I'm a son of Hephaestus, no doubt about it," I said, hoping the others would follow my lead.

"Daughter of Athena," Annabeth supplies.

"Son of Mars, but a descendant of Poseidon," Frank said, causing raised eyebrows from Jessa and David.

"Son of Jupiter."

"Daughter of Aphrodite."

"Son of Poseidon."

"Daughter of Pluto."

"Daughter of Zeus, but Leutanint of the Hunters of Artemis."

"Son of Hades."

"Wow, if you guys really were demigods, you'd be pretty powerful," Jessa says, looking at David. It strikes me that they know we're telling the truth about our heritage. There was an awkward silence, but luckily, we were saved by the bell. As we headed to our afternoon classes, I caught David by the arm.

"Hey, mind if I talk to you for a second?" I said. He nodded. I pulled him into an empty hallway, not caring if I was late. "When are you going to tell them?"

"I honestly hoped they'd be claimed like I was, but it hasn't happened yet. Jessa and I try to get them used to the idea of gods being real, but none of them really except it yet. What about you, you thinking of telling them?" he said, knowing the answer to my question.

"I think we should let them enjoy ignorance for as long as possible. We should tell them if they're in danger. So, your my brother?" I asked.

"Yeah, you need proof?" his hand burst into flames.

"Nah," I said, lighting my own. We grinned. "Are you a sophmore?" He nodded. "You'll be in for a bit of a shock when you get to class, then."

"Why, what's up?" he looked worried.

"Apparently, hestia got fed up eith the Big Three acting like idiots so she sent them here, as teenagers. They're in our class," I said nonchalantly. His face was so horrified I had to laugh. "Come on, I'll introduce you."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sotrry guys! I've been SUPER busy lately so I gave you an extra-long chapter! I even have some of Chapter 12 worked out!Good news: this story will not be over anytime soon! And, I'm going to make a sequal involving the "mortal" friends from High School. RIght now, though, I am focusing on the "mortal" friends becuase the demigods don't know what to do about the gods(just to clear that up). Anyway, I'm thinking of adding a new OC, so if you want your name in the story, review and tell me why you think you should be a character and what kind of character you want to be! Thanks to all who reviewed, especially krista! R&R HAppy Reading! Enjooy!**

Chapter 11

Third Person POV

It was writing class, the only class Jessa knew she could skip. She had a 114% and figured she could catch up easily. David, on the other hand, was not so happy about skipping his biology lesson.

"Jessy, I've got to talk to you," he whispered urgently. His tone told her he wasn't messing around. She nodded and led him into a deserted hallway, just like Leo did earlier that day.

"What is it? Not a monster?" she asks. He shakes his head.

"No, not a monster. But it's just as dangerous. The others at lunch, you know, the new kids? They weren't lying when they told us about who they thought their parents were. They're demigods, Jess. Leo told me," he pauses, wanting to see her reaction.

"Oh my gods! We should transfer, move back home. I know we did this to keep all our families safe, but this much magical power? I don't know if I can handle that much. We'll be putting the entire school in danger," she says, contemplating moving back to her home town.

"Jessa, we can't go back. It's too dangerous. But these guys are really powerful, we have six kids of the big three, if you count Trisha. They know how to fight too. Plus, I'm sure our scent will be covered. I'll talk to my father," he tries to reassure her when he sees the panicked look on her face. He knows she cares too much about her friends to ever put them at risk like this.

"David, I don't know. After all we've been through, I don't think I can handle worrying like this again. It's like I'm twelve again, always wondering if today is the last day I'll live. Are you sure we can make it?" he voice trembles as she remembers those aweful years before.

"I'm sure. Besides, we can't tell them yet. Not until the time is right," he says, pputting a protective arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you or the girls."

"Thanks, David. We should get back to class. I don't want this on my record," she says. He grins at her.

"Can't you embrace your inner Hermes? You can't act like a perfect Athena girl all the time," he syas, teasing her.

"I keep telling you: I don't have an inner Hermes. I'm just a skilled liar," she says, smiling. THey walk back to class and little do they know, another perfect daughter of Athena was watching their entire conversation, also caring about her grades and her record.

Annabeth

So Leo told him. I suppose it was right, considering David is his brother, but still. He should've checked with us before spilling our biggest secret. I was angry at him but more shocked at hat I had heard. So, they had both known about the gods since they were twelve, maybe even longer. To do that without going to camp is a skill I surely don't have. I had to come up with an excuse to get all the others out of school for the day, so I walked to the principles office, being sure to turn on the tears. After ten minutes of crying my eyes out, the adult bought they story of my grandfather, Percy's uncle, Jason and Thalia's father, and Nico and Hazel's uncle all passing in a tragic accident that I just heard of via a text message I just accidentily deleted. I asked for all my friends to be there for me and my other companions in grief so he let our group out early.

"So, why did you tell the principle Zeus was dead?" Thalia asked as we walked out of school.

"I needed to talk to all of you and I chose to play the sympathy card," I said, grinning.

"This better be good then, WIse Girl. I was just in the middle of showing up self-absorbed idiots in swimming," Percy said with a smile to let me know he was kidding.

"I overheard David and Jessa talking," I started only to be cut off by Piper.

"Wait, did you just 'overhear' them or were you eavesdropping?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I didn't mean to eavsdrop on them. I was just getting a new book from my locker when I overheard them talking and I paused," I said. "Anyway, apparently Jessa and David both know about the gods, David's a demigod (probably a son of Hephaestus like he said) and they've known for a really long time. They even left home to protect their families, probably taking all their current friends with them. I don'y know what Jessa is yet, but she's not mortal. But we'll talk more on that later. Got any ideas on how to make the gods act maturly?"

"What if we introduce them to what it's really like to live as a mortal?" Piper suggests. "You know, the stress, the bullies, the homework."

"That's a good idea, but what if they're insulted by some dofus? I know my father has a really bad temper and we still don't know if they have their powers or not. In the mean time, I say we convince Student Council to put on a girl's choice dance, test them, you know? We might get Hera angry in the process," Thalia says with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"I don't know, my money's on letting them figure this out for themselves. If things get out of hand, we'll step in. I think they would react badly to something forced. But let's aim to have this problem fixed by Winter Break," Percy said.

"Agreed. I think that will be the best way and time to have this done," I say, nodding.

"Wow, Kelp Head said something his girlfriend agrees with! She's rubbing off on you!" Thalia teases. I roll my eyes. "Or, he's making you more stupid, Annie, if you agree with him."

"Don't call me Annie!" I warn. Thalia just laughs.

"So, should we head back to camp early or just hang out here the rest of the day?" Hazel asks.

"I don't know about you guys, but I want to stay out of my cabin as long as possible. All my siblings are war-crazy and only Clarisse can calm them down," Frank says, shaking his head.

"We can go to my mom's arpartment, It's not too far from here but it's a while to walk. Nico?" Percy said.

"Why are you all looking at me?" Nico asked. "Oh! Shadow travel, got you. Hold on, guys." We all grabbed onto Nico and stepped into the shadows.

Percy

When I suggested my mom's apartment, I was curious on how she would react. WHat I was expecting was an awkward silence, not a crushing bear hug. As soon as we appeared in the living room, I felt arms around my neck. My mother was hugging me so hard, I had to remind her that I had to breath too. As sson as she let go she set her eyes on my other friends.

"Annabeth! Good to see you!" she said, hugging my girlfriend. "Thalia, still haven't aged a day, have you?" my mother exclaimed with a wink, squeezing the daughter of Zeus. "NIco, you've grown since I last saw you!" Managing to hug the son of Hades is a feat only Hazel and Sally Jackson can do.

"Uh, Mom, Paul, this is Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, Piper Mclean, daughter of Aphrodite, Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, Hazel Levesque, daughter of PLuto, and Frank Zhang, son of Mars," I said, pointing to each of my friends.

"Nice to meet you all!" my mom chirped. "Percy, should I make cookies?"

"Yeah, Mom, that'd be great," I responded. She nodded and went into the kitchen.

"You guys are lucky," Nico said. "Sally makes the best cookies!"

"Seriously, they're great," Annabeth added. "But Percy has this obsession with blue food so don't be surprised when they turn out an unusual color."

"It's not just my obsession, it's proof that my stupid ex-stepfather was wrong," I defended.

"Sure," Thalia said, crossing her arms. "That's why you eat blue food, which, by the way, is Zeus' color, not Poseidon's. You should be eating green food."

"But, Thalia! That would mean he'd have to eat vegetables!" Nico said, feigning distress.

"That's surprising coming from you, Mr. Mcdonalds," Hazel said. Everyone else was fighting back laughter and failing miserably.

"I don't eat it that often!" Nico defended.

"Really? How often do you shadow travel there?" Annabeth asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Often enough," Nico said vaugely.

"See! When you say vauge things like that it seems like you're keeping secrets! Emo alert!" Thalia said, poiting a finger at him like he had the plague. We all burst into laughter, even Thalia.

"Ha ha, very funny, Tree Girl, but just that one incident does NOT make me emo!" Nico said, shooting Thalia one of his death glares. Any normal person would've coward behind their mommy and begged for forgiveness, but the daughter of Zeus had a pretty nasty glare herself. She just smirked and ignored him.

There was an awkward silence for a little while until Paul cleared his throat. "So, you three are Roman?" he asked, looking at Hazel, Frank and Jason.

"Yeah," Jason said. "We lived at Camp Jupiter, the Twelth Fultimata is one of the last legions in practice."

"Well, I'm also the ambassedor of Pluto, but that was just a fake title so I could check on Hazel," Nico said.

Piper

"Wow, Mrs. Jackson, these are amazing, blue food coloring and all," I said, complimenting her fantastic cookies.

"Oh, thank you, Piper. And please, call me Sally," she said with a wave of her hand.

Once we were done at Percy's MOm's house, we started toward the bus station where Argus would pick us up. It was nin o'clock at night and we had to hurry if we wanted to make curfew.

"Don't you guys think we should get our own cars?" I asked. Everyone looked at me weirdly. "What? We're always depending on Argus to drive us everywhere and I personally don't want to be a burden. I can talk to my dad, I'm sure he'd love to help out with the cost and everything, so why not?"

"Umm, we'd have to take a driving test and we might not pass, you know becuase of the dyslexia and ADHD," Percy said.

"I'm sure Annabeth can help you study," I said, again hoping to get them to agree.

"Pipes, I'm not sure if you're charmspeaking me, but that sounds like a really good idea," Jason said.

"I agree," Annabeth added. "If we can get aprooval from Chiron and pass the test, getting cars would be a great idea. Of course, we couldn't all have one, but two or three for school purposes would be nice."

"Sweet! I'm gonna get me a convertable," Leo said, pumping his fist. Everyone laughed.

Back at camp, we suggested the idea of getting cars for those old enough and commuting to school. Chiron immeadiatly agreed, but we had to get our licenses ourselves, no divine help, whatever that meant. We all set off for bed, Frank hoping his siblings wouldn't kill him.

As soon as I stepped foot in the Aphrodite cabin, I was assualted by makeup brushes and hair bands. Head bands wrapped my hands together behind my back and tied my feet so I couldn't move. A silk ribbon gagged my mouth and I was held at mascera point. after working my teeth along the ribbon for a couple seconds, I was able to break it.

"What in hades is going on!" I asked. My fellow sisters squealed and shook their heads. I spotted my favorite brother standing back amongst the crowd. "Mitchell! Tell me what you're doing!"

"Sorry, Piper, Mom's orders," he said, supressing a smile.

"Mom? She told you to tie me up and threaten me with mascera?" I asked, thinking that was a very un-Aphrodite thing to do .

"No, she just told me not to tell you anything," Mitchell answered.

"Gah! Will somebody please explain what in Zeus' sake is going on!" I exclaimed, frustrated beyond the point og reasonable conduct.

"Are the rumors true? IS there a dance happening at your school!" Lacy squeaked hapilly.

"Oh, so that's what this is about," I said evasivly.

"Lacy!" Heathr, a relativly new camper scolded.

"Sorry, I couldn't take it anymore!" Lacy squealed.

"Yes, hon," Drew, my least favorite sister said. She had changed a lot since the Giant War. SHe had stopped being a jerk to everyone, she stopped wearing so much makeup and had actully started being helpful. "Mom said a dance was happeneing at your school and wanted us to give you a makeover for it!"

"Ugh, please, don't do it! You know I hate makeup!" I begged.

"Fine, but you have to bring your friends over here before okay. We're dictating your outfits!" Lacy said.

"One condition: nothing pink, nothing super short, and you have to tell Annabeth it was your idea, not mine," I said, knowing she would kill me when she found out.

"Deal!" was the overall chorus.

"Can you untie me now?" I asked, getting very irritated.

"Awwwww," one of my sisters said."We wanted to give you a makeover now!"

"I'm about ot go to sleep! Maybe in the morning. Maybe!" They cheered and let me out. "Lights out," I grumbled.

Jason

I didn't get much sleep in the Zeus cabin last night. Everytime I was about to drift off, I just looked up at the freaky statue of Zeus in the center of the room. Honestly, it scared me. Finally, I dragged myself over to the little alcove where Thalia had once slept and collapsed into a coma-like sleep. When I woke up, Piper was shaking my shoulder, except she wasn't exactly Piper. This girl had on pale turquoise eyeshadow, mascera and a faint pink blush with pink lipstick.

"Who are and what have you done with my girlfriend?" I asked sleepily. She laughed and punched my arm. Okay, that was my Piper.

"Come on, Sparky, get dressed. We'll be late for school. And my siblings forced me into this," she gestured to her face and her clothes. SHe was wearing a short denim skirt with an orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt and a flowing white cardigan. Totally unlike Piper.

"Can't we skip school today? We haven't had a good training day in weeks!" I complained. She shook her head.

"No, we're going to pick up packets for our permits today so get up!" she said, playfully shoving me towards the bathroom.

"ALright, alright, Piipes. No need to get physical this early in the morning, I'll meet you by Thalia's tree," I said. She nodded.

"Hurry up, or we'll leave without you!" Then she sped out the door.

Once I was dressed and ready for another torturous eight hours, I ran out the Zeus cabin and up the hill to meet my friends and Argus. He was surprisingly cheerful, probably having to do with the fact that soon he wouldn't need to drive us around anymore.

"My gods, Piper," Annabeth said. "You're wearing makeup!" From the tone of her voice I could tell she was disgusted. "And what is up with your clothes?!"

"Sorry about this, my siblings tied me up to a chair with cosmetic supplies, interrefated me about a dance at our school that hasn't even been anounced yet, and made me promise they could give me a makeover today," she summed up. "Oh, and Annabeth, don't kill me, but for the dance that Mom told them about, they're dictating our outfits." The look of rage that passed over Annabeth's features was so menacing, it would make a cold hearted Zazi tremble in fear.

"I'm going to kill them," she muttered.

"Wise Girl, calm down," Percy said. "It's not the end of the world. You'll be fine. Besides, it's just for one night."

"Yeah, Annie," Thalia added. "You can wear a dress for one night."

"Thals, you do know you're going to have to wear one too," I said, expecting her to punch me.

"Eh, I'll get out of it," my sister said and shrugged. "I can be very threat- er persuasive."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey guys! I highly suggest trying the Anime show Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. If you even are going to try it, try the 2009 one, not the 2003 one! It's awesome! Anyway, thanks to all who review! I am still looking for an OC, name and peronality, and if you want it to be you or a character you like then review or I'll put in my own OC! To guest randon:lol: thank you so much! I'm so glad I could inspire you! R&R! Happy Reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 12

Hazel

The dance was in two days. It was supposed to be held on a Friday night, but, for some reason, the staff had decided to move it to Thrusday. Apparently, it was a fall dance and it was very formal, so we'd have to dress up. Piper came up with the idea for our friends from school to be given makeovers from her siblings so we could explain our bizarr appearences at the dance when they were done. So far, all the girls in school were gossiping about who would ask them and who was going with who already. One day, my blood just boiled.

"OMG! That guy Frank is so going to ask me to the dance!" I heard a shrill voice say. I stopped in my tracks, causing Annabeth and Piper to bump into me.

"Hazel, what...?" Piper asked until she saw the three popular girls applying lipstick by their lockers and talking about my boyfriend.

"Have you seen his 'girlfriend', that shrimp Hazel?" the other one asked. "I mean what is she? From the '40s?" I clenched my fists. Diamonds started popping up at my feet along with several peices of jewlery.

"I know! He's so going to dump her for me!" the same girl from before said.

"Please, I don't know what you see in him. If you ask me, Jason's going to dump that naive little Native American girl for me,"Riley Brocker was examining her nails and probably daydreaming of Jason this second. That's when Piper and I both lost it.

"Hey, you clearly don't know my boyfriend if you think he's going to dump me for a clown like you," I said to the two who had insulted me. "And I'm not from the '40s. I'm from the '30s. I died in 1942 in Alaska saving my mother. Go ahead, look it up," I snapped. I looked over at Piper and saw she had a yelling match of her own.

"Who even is your father?" Riley aske, clearly looking for an advantage.

"Tristain Mclean," Piper said smugly. "But don't you think for one second that Jason is dating me for my father. When we met, he had no idea who he was, much less my dad. And don't expect me to act like a snob little rich kid like you becuase trust me, I will not fall to your standards." With a smack on the cheek, Riley fled down the hallway. Piper and I retreated to Annabeth who was watching with a cool expression.

"Well, Piper, you handled that well. I would've broken her nose and jaw again if she'd insulted me and tried to get Percy, but I guess that's just our relationship with each other. Hazel, nice job. They will probably never bother you or Frank ever again," Annabeth said. Then she smiled like this was the highlight of her day. "Come on, we've got to get to lunch." We followed her to the cafeteria where the rest of our friends were waiting.

"What took you guys so long?" Abi asked.

"Oh, just Riley and her minions. Don't worry, I didn't get involved," Annabeth explained. Everyone turned to us.

"What?" Piper defended. "She insulted me, my father, and my boyfriend. She's lucky she got away without anymore broken bones."

"What about you, Hazel?" Frank asked.

"Oh, nothing. They just insulted me, said I dressed like I was from the forties. Don't worry, I didn't hurt them. I just told them my secret," I said with a grin. Frank laughed.

"They said you dressed like you were from the forties?" Jessa asked. "And you didn't hurt them? I admire your self control." I laughed.

"Don't worry, it wasn't that bad of an insult," I said. "So, thoughts about the dance?" This was directed at the girls so, naturally, the boys started a conversation about sports.

"I don't know," Abi said. "I've got a bad feeling someone isn't gonna ask me, but I wouldn't care either way."

"I don't want to go with anyone," Jessa said. She wrinkled her nose. "Darius, Johnathan, and Kaden already asked me!" Abi and Katie laughed like that was completely abured.

"Hey, my sisters are dictating my, Thalia's Hazel's, and Annabeth's outfits, why don't you come over to my dad's house and we can go together?" Piper asked.

"Depends, what are your sisters like? Jessa asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh, they're total fashion girly-girls. They live for magazines and makeup. Don't worry, thoguh, I've outlawed anything pink or super short," Piper said.

"I'm in. I'd rather go with a group than sit by myself reading on the bleachers," Jessa said.

"Me too," Abi added. "All the boys here, besides Percy, Jason, Frank, David, and Leo, are complete and annoying idiots."

"Your wrong there," Annabeth said. "Percy is an idiot."

"I heard that, Wise Girl!" came an indignant voice from across the table.

"Well, it's true!" Thalia called back.

"You would call your own cousin an idiot?" Abi asked Thalia. Thalia shrugged.

"His brain is made of kelp. Why do you think Annie calls him Seaweed Brain and I call him Kelp Head?" she asked like it should be perfectly obvious to everyone.

"Why do they call you Pinecone Face and Nico Death Breath?" Abi countered.

"I've had a certain...incidnet with a pine tree and Nico's emo, next!" Thalia said, waving her hand like a game show host.

"What about Leo?" Abi asked. Thalia pointed at Piper.

"When Leo was introducing a ship he built, he asked for his title. I said 'Repair Boy' so we call him that. Plus, he can build or fix practically anything," Piper said.

"What about Piper?"

"Piper's mom is all about love and fashion so we call her Beauty Queen, or at least Leo and Jason do," Thalia said. "Next!"

"Why does Piper call Jason Superman or Sparky?"

"Well, my brother has always had an interest in the winds and lightning. When he was little, he used to pretend he could fly and control lightning. Next, and make it a good one," Thalia said.

"Why do you have a silver aura about you and a circlet in your hair?" Abi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why do Leo's eyebrows smoke whenever he gets excited? Why do diamonds or other jewles pop out of the ground when Hazel's nervous? Why does Percy's hair autimatically dry whenever he's done in the pool? Why does Jason spark whenever he's angry? Why does Nico just pop out of the shadows? Why do you treat Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades Olympia like they're rolaty? Who is Chiron, where is 'camp' and what the heck was the giant dog that licked Percy a few weeks ago and how did you convince the dean that it was just a stray because it was as big as a truck?" Thalia glanced at Annabeth nervously.

"Abi, I can't answer those questions just yet. Forget about them for now and we'll get back to you when the time is right," Annabeth said.

"'When the time is right'?" Abi slammed her hands on the table. "You sound like freaking Dumbledore! Your telling me just to forget this when you're-" I leapt up and covered her mouth, preventing her from spilling our secret. Once she stopped trying to shout Jessa whispered in her ear. Abi relaxed and slumped in her seat.

"So, I think I'm free the night of the dance, I'll definatly help you guys before hand," Katie said, wringing her hands nervously.

"Yeah, me too," Trisha added.

"Don't count me out, but I'm not wearing a skirt or a dress," Natalie said as she cracked her knuckles.

"That might be hard to manage, my sisters are very...dangerous when it comes to formal dances," PIper said with a chuckle.

"So we're dealing with total APhrodite girls? Great," Jessa said, scowling at the table.

"You could say that," Annabeth said with a laugh. "Alright, I'm going to do the extra credit for Biology, anyone want to come with?"

"There's extra credit for biology? How did I not know about this!" Katie said and jumped to her feet.

"Woah, Braniac, slow down, Katie! Come back!" Natalie yelled at the disappearing figure of her friend. "Well, I better follow her. She'll get into a rampage if her grade is below 105%. Trisha, Abi, you coming?"

"Yeah, I need to get my grade up anyways," Abi said and Trisha followed right behind her.

"Bye guys," Annnabeth called to the rest of us. Thalia crossed over to the boys' side and got into another argument with Nico.

"So, Hazel, what did you mean about Riley's insult? I know you're not from the '40s, but what timeperiod are you really from?" Jessa asked casually.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone, not even our friends, that I told you or what you know," I whispered.

"I can't promise that. Abi has a way of weedling things out of me and there's a certain someone I tell all my secrets," she said, picking at her fingernails. "But, if it makes you feel better, they won't tell a soul what they know."

"Alright. I died in 1942, in Alaska, protecting my mother from the earth goddess Gaea and her son Alcyoneus. My mother would have gone to Punishment and I to Elysium, but I didn't want to see her go through that. She didn't deserve eternal punishment so I gave up my spot in Elysium for us both to be in Asphodel. I would've stayed there if it wasn't for Nico. My brother brought me out from the Underworld and, here I am," I whispered. Jessa had grown quiet during my story.

"And then you and the others fulfilled the Second Great Prophecy. Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To Storm or Fire the world will fall. An oath to keep with a final breath and foes bear arms at the Doors of Death. You did it, and you survived," she said.

"How, how did you- ?"

"How did I know the prophecy? I'm not an ignorant mortal. I know about the Oracle of Delphi, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. In fact, she's a good friend. I know about Preator Jason Grace and the hero of Olympus, Percy Jackson. Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me as long as mine are safe with you. Excuse me, I need to go now," she said and walked out of the cafeteria. Her words left me reeling. How could she know all about us? About the prophecy? About the camps? How did she know Rachel? I'd have to tell someone else. Not everyone, but the person who would know what to do.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hello guys! This is a pretty long chapter so I hope you like it! You get to hear more about the "mortal" friends and their story! Thankyou to everyone who reviewed! I'm still holding that OC contest, but I have some idea of who to add, so type in that little box at the bottom if you want to add another character! R&R! Happy Reading! Enjoy!**

Chapter 13

Annabeth

"Hazel, are you sure that's what she said?" I asked. Hazel nodded.

"Jessa knows Rachel and a lot about us. She said she'd heard about Percy and Jason, the leaders of the camps. She also recited the Prophecy of Seven. I, I told her my story and she told me her secret. Annabeth, what do we do?" Hazel looked almost scared.

"Nothing, for now. We'll see if we have to do anything, but for now let's focus on the gods. And before that, let's try and reign in Piper's sisters. I am not wearing this demeaning rag," I said and gestured to the tight pink dress Lacy had stuck me with.

"I'm back!" we heard a voice shout. I walked back into the main living room to find Mitchell panting and holding a box.

"Mitchell, what's that?" Piper asked.

"From Mom, for all of you guys and your other friends. I'll have to give the guys theirs. Drew, you know Mom's stuff, right?" Mitchell asked hurriedly. When Drew nodded he ran out quickly.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"You guys are lucky. Mom makes all these herself," Drew said just as someone knocked on the door.

"Piper? You in there?" Abi's voice was slightly muffled through the door.

"Yeah, in here, Abi," Piper yelled. All six of them walked through the door.

"Who's this?" Katie asked.

"Jessa, Abi, Mika, Trisha, Katie, Natalie, these are my sisters Drew and Lacy," Piper introduced. Lacy fdlashed them a full braces smile and waved excitedly. Drew just smiled warmly.

"OK girls, let's get started," Drew said and clapped her hands. "In this box is your own custom dress and aacessory. Each can turn into your favorite casual outfit if you press a discreet button by your hip. Trust me, they're briliant. Lacy will start with your hair and I'll work on makeup. Piper, you start handing out clothes." Everyone did as they were told and the result was amazing.

Hazel was dressed in a royal purple with a gold band around the middle. Her dressed shimmered like it was an amethyst. Her "button" was a small diamond at her hip. She had a hair clip shaped like Roman laurels and turned into her spatha. My dress was a soft gray, gathered at the waist, with sleeves like a T-shirt and an owl at my hip. I wore a white bracelet that was actually my drakon-bone sword. Thalia was wearing a knee-length midnight blue dress with a silver pattern that looked like stars. She also wore Aegis in bracelet form and a hair clip that turned into her bow and quiver. Trisha wore something similar to Thalia's but her dress was black with a more jewel like pattern. She was given A black neclace with a black stone. Abi wore an all silver gown with stars and owls. She had a silver bracelet and her hair was done in a braid woven with owl feathers. Tom-boy Natalie wore skin tight black leggings with a flowing white tunic that looked like wings. She even nput on a necklace for thae dance. Katiw wore a light blue skirt that looked like mist and a sun yelow top. Mika was wearing a yellow, orange, and red dress, the colors intermingling to look like the sun. She had a sun hair clip and bracelet. Jessa might have shown the brightest of us all with her Greek-style dress that looked very similar to the one Aphrodite had given Piper when she was claimed. An omega was etched in gold at her hip along with omega earings and necklace.

"How did Mom do this?" she muttered to me under her breath. "I wore this on my quest. It was burned and torn. She even replaced my snowboarding jacket." I looked at her outfit and saw her in the same turquoise dress and black leggings she had come back form her quest with, only these looked brand new.

"Aphrodite has her ways when it comes to clothes," I said with a sly smile. Piper laughed and nodded.

"I guess so. We better not be late, think we can walk it?" she said.

"Gods, no, we'll have to take Jessa's and Abi's cars," I said. "Come on, guys, we've got to pile into two cars if we want to make the dance on time!" We all rushed outside, Thalia cursing the inventor of the heeled sandals she wore.

Jessa

I knew someone had spiked my drink becuase after I had the punch, I was not myself. The dance had started off well enough. THe boys showed up in their own custom outfits and we had a good time until people started handing out drinks. I moved onto the dance floor, pulling an uncetain Abi with me. I even danced with David a little bit, but not in any way I wouldn't have done if I were sober. Soon, I lost track of my friends and I was in the heart of the party. I got weird glances and I knew people were muttering behind my back.

"Jessa the bookworm in the middle of a party? Dancing alone? In something like that?" I heard people say, but I didn't care.

I was enjoying being wild and free and soaring from the lift of fears from my shoulders. Then, I felt strong, large hands roughly grab my shoulders and move to the rythem of the music. I froze. This wasn't David's gentle grip or anyone else I knew. The hold was too tight for me to turn and look at the stranger behind me, but I had a few guesses.

"Why you stop dancing, girlie?" the intruder slurred.

Matt.

"Matt, get off me," I said, fighting my anger.

"Why should I?" he said. He leaned into my face and whispered in my ear,"I want you to kiss me." That blew the fuse.

"I'm going to ask you one last time: get your hands off me now!" I said through clenched teeth.

"I don't think so, Jess. I haven't had any fun yet. If you would just-" I cut him off by using my skinny, and sharp, heel to kick him where the sun doesn't shine. He grunted and doubled over in pain. "You..."

Before I could run he yanked his arm back and prepared to punch me. No big deal, I thought. I've dodged these pleanty of times. Apparently, whatever someone put in my drink was taking a bigger tole than I thought. As his fist came hurtling towards my face, I couldn't move. He hit me, square in the nose and kicked me backward, slamming my head on the concrete cafeteria floor. He was about to hit me again but a figure stepped in front of me.

"Hey! Lay off my friend!" Percy told Matt.

"Just who do you think...Jackson?" Matt asked, sounding very confused.

"Sloan? Oh you're going to pay big time now," Percy said, fury creeping into his voice.

"Percy,no. He's not worth it," I croaked. Percy looked at me and smiled.

"Don't worry, I've got an old score to settle with this jerk," he said and turned back to Matt. Percy was about to strike when a sophmore put a hand on his shoulder.

"Perseus," he warned. "Do not take your anger out on this mortal."

"Father," Percy whispered. Father? That kid was younger than Percy. "You don't understand. This bully tormented Tyson and countless other mortals."

"If his crimes are as bad as you say, he'll pay for them when he reaches your uncle's court. Go, take care of your friend. Leave him to me," the guy said. Percy nodded. I wondered what their connection was, but I didn't have much time to think about it. I reached behind me, toward my head, where I had hit the ground. My hand came back bloody.

Percy

"Jessa, you okay?" I asked. Her eyes were unfocused and closing. I saw her hand drop and her fingers slick with blood.

"Hospital, get David and Mika..." she whispered before passing out. i caught her and lifted her into my arms. I needed to get help fast. Mortal paramedics wouldn't be here in time, I'd have to find a car.

"Mika, David, come with me, we need to get her to the hospital," I said when I found our group again.

"What? What happened?" Mika asked.

"No time to explain. Annabeth, call our medic," I said, and took off them in tow. We raced out of the school and into the parking lot. "Do you have a car," I asked both of them. They shook their heads.

"I don't, but Jess does. It's over there," she said and pointed to a small blue car.

"Great, can you drive?" I asked. She shook her head again.

"I can," David said.

On the way to the hospital I explained what happened with Matt Sloan and how he'd tried to knock her lights out. I didn't, however, mention how he had bullied me and my half-brother Tyson in 7th grade or the intervention of my father. "The back of her head is bleeding and I think she might have broken her nose," I said, just as we pulled up to the hospital. We rushed her inside only to be greeted by an empty waiting room and a singular receptionist.

"Hi there, what can I do for you?" the woman said.

"Hurry, the back of her head is bleeding from slamming into concrete and I think she might've broken her nose," I barked.

"Has she ever been to a hospital before?" the woman asked.

"Yes, when she was eleven she sprained her wrist," David supplied.

"I'm going to have to ask you to set her down now, only family members are allowed," the woman said.

"We're her emergency contact," David said pointing to Mika and himself. "And he's her cousin." The woman nodded and led us into the ICU.

"Lucky for you, we have a room available. Set her down here. Do you have a personal doctor you'd like to have?" the woman asked. Before Mika or David could answer I spoke up.

"Yes, he's on his way from Long Island," I said.

"Alright, we'll do minimal amounts until he gets here," the woman said and walked out of the room.

"Mika, you better go and tell the others her condition. I'll stay with her," David said. Mika nodded and left. "So, who's this doctor from Long Island you want to trust with her life?" I saw him scowling at me and realized I'd have to tell him a lot of things.

"Umm, he's Chiron. You know, Chiron from the myths. The centaur and incredible healer?" I asked nervously. He just nodded.

"You're going to have to explain to me a lot of things before I really trust this guy," he said and I sighed. I told him everything from my first quest to Hera kidnapping me and taking my memories.

"Chiron's been a father figure to not only me, but Annabeth and all the others as well. I don't know what I would've done without him," I said, wrapping up my story.

"That's quite a humbleing descrription, my boy," said a voice from the door. I turned and saw my teacher in his wheel-chair and holding his medical bag. "Now, what happened to this young lady?"

"She was ounched in the nose, she might've broken it, bubt the main problem is her head. She slammed it against concrete and it's bleeding right now," David said, glancing at Jessa nervously.

"Do you have a strong connection to her?" Chiron asked.

"Yeah, she's like my sister," he said.

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to leave, you to Percy. I don't want you in here. Attachments can save or kill a person," Chiron said.

"I understand," David nodded and filed out the door. He turned back at the last second. "Please save her, she's the closest thing to family I have left."

"I'll do my best," Chiron said and motioned for us to leave again.

Out in the hall there were chairs you could sit in if you were waiting for someone. David plopped right down in one and ran his fingers through his hair. "So," I said. "I told you my story, care to tell me yours?"

"I first met Jessa in first grade. We imediatly connected and we were inseparable for most of that year. It was us and another girl, Abby A-b-b-y, and we were the best of friends. Jessa was so shy and quiet until Abby started to put ideas in her head. We didn't know it yet, but she was a daughter of Aphrodite and she had the power to charmspeak. She turned Jessa into a little bit of a rebel and definitely brought out her dangerous side. She started taking risks and speaking in the hallways, something she had never done before. But then, in third grade, Abi stopped going to this after-school program we went to. She and Jessa grew apart, but Jessa and I grew closer. We talked constantly about Greek mythology and the gods. Then my mother told me about my father and he expected me to do a small quest. I forget the task now, but it was just some errand. I told Jessa about the gods, about the possibility she was a demigod too. I even told Abby, but she was just playing with us. When she broke a branch off a tree, we told her it was unkind to the nymph and then she started saying that the dryad had told her to do it and she claimed she could see it: a little green elf sitting on a branch, no bigger than a pinecone. We told her she was wrong but she just huffed and told us she was right. After that, we were never the same. Then, Abby transfered to a different school. We were neighbors, so I did see her often, but she just acted as if I had caught the plague and avoided me. By fifth grade, we weren't sure whose child Jessa was. She had bounced around from Zeus to Apollo to Athena, but none of them were the right fit for her. One day, another one of our friends made up a word for someone with the blood of all the gods in them. A collector, she called it. I knew it was the wrong name, but it matched her description. Jessa and I grew apart, only because her other controlling friends would follow us and try to listen in to our conversations about the mythological world. I particularly avoided her because I felt I was a burden on her. Things got better in sixth grade, though. We moved schools and met Mika, Abi, Trisha, Katie, and Natalie. We gave them information about the gods and got them into Greek mythology. We talked like the gods were real and put that idea in there heads. Abi'd already guessed what we were hiding so we told her everything and she continued as if we'd told her the name of an interesting flower. Jessa and I knew we'd have to leave before our scent became too strong, before we put our families in danger. So, we altered the brochure for Goode to make it look like an all year boarding school. All our parents accepted and we left for New York after eighth grade, the year we were all thirteen. With the little money my mother gave me, we bought a two room apartment and got jobs to pay for everything we needed. Jessa and Mika got jobs at a day-care and I didn't really think about it until I walked them home one day. The expression of sadness on the kids' faces when Jess had to leave and the look of joy on her's when she was talking to them was so strong, I knew this was what she was meant to do. So, I got two jobs and we saved up for a three room apartment. I opened a garage to help pay for Jessa's college funds because I knew she had to become a teacher, it was what the Fates had in store for her. We've been going to Goode ever since," David said.

"Wait, if you're all the same age, how are you, Katie, and Natalie sophomores and Jessa, Trisha, MIka, and Abi seniors?" I asked.

"You see, Jessa, Abi, Trisha, and Mika all skipped two grades. When we started High School, they put them right in the sophomore classes while the rest of us stayed in the freshman. It's funny, Abi and Mika are the youngest of our group, their birthdays were just after the cut off date, and now their the ones graduating first," David said with a chuckle.

"I see. How old is Mika? She's short, but I only assumed that was because she was Japanese," I said.

"She just turned fifteen, but she's very serious about getting a scholarship. She's already applied for several colleges," David said. "Did you know Jessa took the vow to Artemis to become a Hunter?" I shook my head. That was a hard oath to keep, especially if you had never met the goddess. "Well, she made it when she was eleven. She new early on she didn't want anything to do with boys or men and it's that stubbornness that put her here, that eternal hatred against us males is what caused her to fight back against Matt. And it's my fault for suggesting it to her. She said all boys were annoying so I said, 'If you hate us boys so much, why don't you join the Hunters of Artemis?' and she said the oath. It's all my fault. What if she ends up dying because of me?" I looked over and saw angry tears running down his face.

"You've been through a lot, David. But you can't blame yourself for this. I remember when a son of Hephaestus, like you, sacrificed himself to blow up a cruise ship full of monsters and save my life. I thought his death was my fault, but I talked to his ghost. He told me it was his choice, but I still wouldn't forgive myself. It took so long, but when I finally did accept his death, it felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Don't weigh yourself down. This was her choice, and, if anyone's, Matt Sloan's fault," I said. He nodded, but I got the feeling he wasn't convinced.

It was a while before we said anything. I kept on thinking about the probability of six half-bloods living together and still surviving for two years. How could the others, the ones who didn't know, go along with living on their own, away from their parents? I didn't see how it was possible.

"David! Is she alright?" I heard Abi's voice call from down the hall. I saw them, all of our friends, running towards us. They were still in their dress clothes, so I think they came straight from the dance.

"We don't know," David muttered. "She hit her head pretty hard. It was bleeding when we got her here. Nose might be broken too."

"Percy, is..." Piper asked, looking at the closed door.

"Yeah, he's back there. He told us to wait out here," I said.

"Who?" Katie asked.

"One of the best doctors we know. If he can't fix her, only one person can," Annabeth reassured.

"This shouldn't have happened. It shouldn't be her in there!" Natalie said, angry tears spilling out of her eyes. She punched the wall repeatedly.

"Nat, calm down. There's nothing we can do about it," Abi said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Have you called her parents?" Hazel asked. "Why aren't they here?"

"Her parents are halfway across the country. We're not letting them know. If she turns out okay, there's no reason to worry them," David said. Hazel loooked skeptical but dropped the matter. FOr a while, we just sat there, waiting for Chiron to tell us if she was going to be alright. We couldn't talk or do anything to take our minds off it, off the thought of her dying. Finally, the door opened and Chiron wheeled out.

"Is she alright?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, my boy, but her body is rejecting even my medicine. She's in a coma-like state, not fully concious, but her heart still beats. Would you like to see her?" Chiron asked, his voice sounded melancholy and his eyes showed only sadness and pity. I nodded. We filed into her room, filled with beeping machines and Chiron's medical bag. And hse was just lying there, her dark hair spplayed out on the pillow, her head and nose wrapped in bandages. Abi and Mika clung to each other, sobbing. David just took her hand and muttered for her to hold on. Natalie started punchong the walls again and shook her shoulders.

"Jessa, wake up, wake up! You're not dying on me, on us, understand? We're all here for you, so tell us what we have to do!" she practically shouted in her face. I wasn't expectingit, but Jessa stirred. Her eyes sqeezed tighter together, as if she was in pain.

"Sun, need sun. Mika's father, only one..." she muttered. She cried out in pain and gripped David's hand like it was a lifeline. She started shuddering and rocking the hospital bed.

"What, what's happening to with her?" Abi asked Chiron.

"I can't say. I've only seen one other person react like this and I could do nothing to save them," Chiron said, his brow furrowed.

"What does she mean by 'sun'," Jason asked.

"That's easy. We need to get my brother, the best doctor in the world," Thalia said. "But how are we going to convince him to come here?"

"I'll take care of it. I did save his behind more than once," I said. "Annabeth, got any drachmas?" she nodded and tossed me a coin. I walked outside, where no one could see me, and used some water to make mist. The moonlight shone, through, making a rainbow. "Oh, Fleecy, helper of Iris, accept my offering. Show me Apollo!" I tossed the coin in and an image appeared.

"Hey, what's up little cuz?" Apollo said through the mist.

"I've got a favor to ask. My friend, she's been seriously injured. Her body is rejecting even Chiron's medicine. She started muttering about sun, that could only be you. Please, Apollo, you're her last chance," I explained.

"Hmm, give me another reason why I should come," he said.

"Thalia's here."

"Thalia? Oh yes, my little sister, I'll be right there," he ran his hand thorugh the message, cutting off our conversation. I ran back inside to see expectant faces.

"He's coming," I said. Everyone sighed with relief.

"Annabeth, I'm going to have to go back to camp. Argus will be waiting for you," Chiron said. ANnabeth nodded.

"Thanks, Chiron. But I think we'll end up staying the night here or at Piper's dad's apartment," she said.

"Yes, but be careful. I'll let Argus know. Check in with me in the morning," with that he wheeled out of the room.

"So you really think this guy can save her?" Katie asked.

"No, I don't think he can save her, I know he will," Annabeth said.

"Of course I can!" Apollo walked through the door. "Now, let's see. I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

"She was punched in the nose, really hard. Then, she slammed her head on concrete. It was bleeding when we got her here, but I don't know if it's gotten any better," I said.

"Alright, everyone out!" Apollo ordered.

"So he's really your brother?" Trisha asked Thalia.

"Only on Father's side. But I sort of disowned my father. I joined this group that goes around the world, travellign and learning things. But you have to swear off boys, so it's not for everyone," Thalia explained.

"Wow," was her only answer. There was a bright flash of light coming through the window. When it faded, Apollo opened the door.

"She'll be fine. She'll have a concussion for about three days, but that's about it," he said. Thalia pushed passt him and into Jessa's room. "What? No 'thank you'? You know I'm your favorite brother."

"Last time I checked, you're not Jason," Thalia called over her shoulder.

"Ha!" Jason said as he followed his sister.

"Yeah yeah, well I've got work to do. You owe me, Percy," he said and flashed out of the hospital.

"David?" came Jessa's voice from her room.

"Gods, I'm here, Jess!" he yelled and rushed in. We followed after him. They were hugging and crying when we entered.

"I can't believe I almost lost you," he said, still refusing to let go of her.

"I can't believe I almost let go. I saw them, the judges, but someone took my hand and yanked me out," she said. "Yeesh, I've got a killer headache."

"Jess, don't dare do that again! I plan on you outliving me, so no more life threatening injuries, got it!" Natalie scolded.

"All right, Nat, don't get your shoelaces in a not. Did anyone call my parents?" Jessa said.

"No, you want me to?" Mika asked her.

"No, I'm fine, and we didn't use any mort- I mean hospital doctors, right?" she asked. We nodded. "I don't want them here, they'll just waste money flying out."

"So, I guess your nose breaks your no-broken-bones streak doesn't it?" Mika asked.

"Ah, I forgot about that. It might not even be broken though. Gods, I hope it isn't," Jessa said, fingering he nose tentativley.

"You've never broken bone?" Annabeth asked her.

"Nope, not one," Jessa replied. "But I did sprain my wrist once. That's the most seriously I've been injured."

"And coming froma girl who plays competitive soccer and the school varsety team, that says a lot," Mika supplied.

"Excuse me, your name is Jessa Fire, correct?" a nurse was standing by the door.

"Yes, that's me," Jessa said.

"Good, I have your report. The good news is your nose isn't broken," the nurse said.

"Yes! Back on- ow, ow, ow," Jessa pumped her fist roughly and then clutched her head.

"But you do have a serious concussion. You'll have to take a break from school until it's healed. No close up activities and no sports," the nurse said.

"Wait, what? I can't go to school?!" Jessa asked.

"Pretty good deal, right," the nurse said with a wink.

"No! I'm going to fall behind, I'll miss so much! Are you telling me I can't read?" Jessa sounded incredulous.

"I'm afriad not," the nurse replied.

"I can't write? I can't read? I can't play soccer?!" Jessa sounded more frantic with each question.

"No, you can't," the nurse said.

"What am I supposed to do?! That's ALL I do! How am I supposed to fill my waking hours if I can't read, write, play soccer or go to school?!" Jessa exclaimed.

"You can watch TV as long as you're at least four feet away," the nurse supplied.

"TV?! That's it! I'm doomed," JEssa said and put her head in her hands.

"What's wrong with watching TV?" I asked.

"I don't watch anything besides special, logistic, Japanese Anime shows and movies, old movies like Les Misreables, or scientific documentaries. Argh, I'm going to have to rewatch one of my sister's Anime shows! She'll stick me with one I don't like! Grrr, curse you Matt Sloan!" she said.

"Don't worry, Jess, I'll lend you my seasons of Castle and Modern Family, you'll be fine," Mika said with a wave of her hand.

"Excuse me, nurse," Annabeth said. "But is it at all possible that her concussion could be gone in a few days?"

"It's highly unlikely, but we'll send someone to check on you in three days. For now, you're free to go," the nurse said and left.

"Alright, somebody help me up," Jessa grumbled. "Is my car here?"

"Yeah, but you're in no shape to drive. Here, you guys come to this adress okay? You can stay the night at our place," David said, handing me a slip of paper.

"Wait, I need to talk to Percy," Jessa said.

"Jason, you guys head there, we'll take a cab and catch up with you," I said. He nodded. Annabeth shot Jessa a glance, but then hurried off.

"Percy, thankyou for standing up to Matt, I'd probably be in worse conditions if it wasn't for you," she said.

"Hey, it's no big deal. Besides, I wasn't just going to stand back and let him pummel you," I said.

"That sophmore, Poseidon Olympia, I heard you call him 'Father'. That really is Poseidon then, right?" she asked.

"I guess you found us out. Yeah, that's my dad," I said.

"I thought so," she muttered.

"David told me your story. Leaving your family behind to save them and living on your own? That's pretty freakin' heroic," I said.

"Says the demigod who fell into Tartarus and found his way back, who was willing to turn down immortality for the girl he loves," she said. I took a step back from her.

"How did you know that?" I asked.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare is a good friend of mine. I met her when I first moved here two years ago. I was visiting my sister at Clarion Ladies Acadamy when I literally bumped into her. After some chatting she told me about herself, Kronos, Gaea, Camp Half-blood, you. We've been close ever since. She told me about the prophecy, the Romans, the quest, everything. That's why I was so shocked when I met you and the others. Here were the heroes I'd heard so much about, in my small High School," she said. Jessa looked at me and smiled.

"It's an honor to be called a friend of the mighty Perseus Jackson."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey, guys. I'm SO excited! Today, I leave for London! I'm going to be away for about two weeks and there won't be any wifi where I'm going so I won't be updating for a while. But I will still write, so you can count on chapter 15 and16 being posted as soon as possible! I know some people want to see Matt Sloan pay, but that's in the next chapter. I tried to focus this more on the demigods' interactions and the gods. So, R&R! Happy Reading! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: (oops, forgot to do this the past few chapters) I do not own PJO or HOO, Rick Riordan does.**

Chapter 14

Piper

The gods were acting more anxious than usual. Ever since the dance, when Poseidon had yelled at Matt for a good ten minutes, they had been constantly looking over their shoulders and scowling. Even Poseidon, whoh usually had a happy grin on his face.

One day, I overheard them talking.

"Poseidon, you know you can't take out your anger on a mortal!" Hades scolded.

"But, brother, that poor girl is in the hospital because of him! And, he nearly killed Percy and Tyson by inviting those Laistrygonians," POseidon defended. "How would you feel if that happened to Nico or Hazel when they were still children?"

"My children had gone through so much worse by the time they were that age, thanks to Zeus," Hades said, glaring at his brother.

"Your children were too dangerous to keep around, I had to!" Zeus said lazily.

"And Thalia and Jason were not! Persy was not! My children were wronged, I was wronged, and I'm still furious you two both broke the oath that got Maria killed!" Hades exclaimed. I had no idea Nico's mother died because of the oath the brothers took after World War II.

"Hades, I am so sorry your Maria was killed and that I broke my oath, but that time of fear is over now. We are free from that binding promise, it's time you are free from your sorrow," Poseidon chided.

"Yes, we are free, but I will never forgive this scoundrel for killing Maria in cold blood," Hades murmered. "To be free from sorrow is to be free from hapiness, without knowing pain we could never know joy."

"Let us put this behind us, brother. Let us move on to a better age, a better life," Zeus ammended.

"Alright, but I'm telling Hera you asked a mortal to the dance instead of her!" Hades said with a smile.

"Don't you dare! She'll blast me off Olympus!" Zeus exclaimed.

"Watch me!"

I hurried off to lunch, almost giddy with excitment over what I had heard.

"He did what?" Thalia asked. "My father killed your mother, Nico?" Nico nodded his head solemnly. "I am SO sorry! He'll get a lecture from me now that I'm physically older and he doesn't have his powers!"

"What's even more, Poseidon was about to beat up Matt Sloan," I said.

"I would've paid money to see that jerk get his butt kicked by my fifteen year old father," Percy said, pumping his fist. "Wow, never thought I'd say that sentence."

"Aaaand," I said, extending the 'a'. "Zeus invited a mortal girl to the dance!"

"What? Oh he is so going to get it from Juno," Jason said through laughter.

"Not if I beat her to it. I wonder who it was? It better not be someone I know," Thalia grumbled.

"SO they're actually acting like brothers," Hazel stated.

"Mortal brothers, but yes," I said.

"Good, now we've just got to get them acting like gods, and we'll be golden. No more embarrissing father at my school!" Thalia exclaimed.

"What I'd like to know is why my father thinks I have 'been wronged'. I spent seventy years in an awesome hotel with an indoor water slide, I mean, seriously, how have I been wronged? Now Hazel, I can understand but me? No, my life's pretty good," Nico said. He had a smile on his face and he spread his hand as if showing off all the money he had.

"Talos statue. That's what he means," Thalia said with a grim scowl. Nico's smile dropped and his hands thudded onto the table." I'm sorry, Nico, you asked."

"What happened with a Talos statue?" Annabeth asked with a puzzled expression. "Where did you even find a Talos statue? The only one I know of is in the junkyard of the gods but that's halfway across the country, you'd only go by there if you were going to California or... oh, sorry Nico."

"I'm sorry, but, Nico? Was that where Bianca died?" Hazel asked softly. Nico nodded, tears spilling from his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Nico." She got up and hugged him as more tears escaped. I looked at Percy and saw his fists clenched tight. Whoever Bianca was, I guessed Percy held himself accountable for her death. The look of guilt and despair on his face was the same one we wore whenever the subject of the Titan War came up, when he remembered all those who died.

"Who's Bianca?" I whispered to Thalia.

"She's Nico's older sister. When Annabeth was kidnapped by Atlas, we were on a mission to rescue Nico and Bianca and bring them to camp, but she joined the Hunters. When we went on a quest to save Annabeth and Artemis, Bianca sacrificed herself to save us. For a while, Nico hated Percy becuase he'd promised to keep her safe. Nico even tried to bring her back, but he wasn't experienced enough. When he was able to bring her back, he found out she had chosen rebirth and he ran into Hazel instead," Thalia whispered back.

"Okay, time to change the subject!" Leo shouted. "Anybody know anything funny?" We all stared at him. "What? I can't think of anything!"

"You're kidding, right?" I asked him. "You're the one with all the corny and cheesy jokes in the worst of times and you can't think of one now?"

"Uh, no? And my jokes are not corny!" he said. We laughed.

"Really, Repair Boy? I remember some really bad ones back at Wilderness School," I said. "The one thing you can't fix is your sense of humor." That raised another round of laughter.

"Um, exuse me, mind if I sit here?" came a shy voice from behind us.

"Calypso! Yeah, come here," Leo lept up and escorted her to the table. "Know any corny jokes?"

"Corny? Like, about corn? That's a very specific category," she said, furrowing her brow.

"I know something funny about corn," Frank said with a smile. "You guys remember our stop in Venice, right?"

"Zhang, I swear if you tell this story-" Nico started.

"Your threats don't scare me anymore, di Angelo. I'm telling it. When we went to the farming god, Trip, he turned Nico into a cron plant becuase he was a son of Hades," Frank said.

"A corn plant? That's even worse than my tree!" Thalia said through spurts of laughter.

"At least it's better than Percy's being turned into a guinea pig!"

"Well, at least I wasn't a plant like the two of you!"

"Excuse me, but I saved your life when you needed to get away from the Minotaur! I helped keep the borders safe! What did you do, pee on some straw in a cage?"

"I saved some pirates from Circe!"

"Yeah, pirates! And then they kidnapped Reyna and Hylla!"

"At least I did something, Death Breath!"

"Not anything good, Sea Spawn!"

"I saved lives, and without me Circe would still be at large and Reyna would have never found Camp Jupiter! What did you do, Bone Brain?!"

"I made Frank go and kill all the cow monsters, thus healing Hazel after he got a snake, Kelp Head!"

"Both of you, just shut up! It's clear I was the best at being a plant or animal out of all of us!"

"Oh come on, Pinecone Face, you know that's not true!"

"Will you all just be quiet and get along for once!" Annabeth snapped.

"What do you mean, we get along all the time!"

"No we don't!"

"Yes we do!"

"No we don't!"

"Yes we do!"

"Enough! I've seen kindergarteners behave better than you two! Just shut up and let me finish my lunch without giving me a migrain!" Annabeth yelled.

"Yeah, you two are worse than Percy and Annabeth when they were twelve. They gave me a migrain and satyrs don't even get migrains."

I turned and saw another surprise waiting.

"Grover! What are you doing here?!" Percy exclaimdd, standing up to hug the kid on crutches. I studied him. His limp and cruthes suggested he was a satyr and he wore a Camp Half-Blood T-shirt and jeans. His horns were covered by a gray beanie hat.

"Chiron told me someone important as here at your school and to sniff out possible mosters since there were so many of you here," the guy said.

"Don't you have other things to do, goat-boy?" Thalia asked.

"Nah, the other styrs and dryads are taking care of it," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Guys, this is Grover Underwood, savior of Olympus, Lord of the Wild, and member of the Council of Cloven Elders," Percy introduced. "G-man, this is the rest of the seven, Jason Grace, his girlfriend Piper Mclean, Leo Valdez, his girlfriend Calypso, Hazel Levesque, and her boyfriend Fank Zhang." We all waved.

"So, this is the Satyr who found all three Greek children of the Big Three?" I asked. Grover blushed and nodded.

"I'm not better than the rest, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time," he said modestly.

"No, he's better than the rest. Did I mention he found and is the chosen one of Pan?" Percy said, clapping a hand on Grover's shoulder.

"You found Pan?" Jason asked. "Where is he?" Grover's face darkened.

"He's dead now. He faded. But we found him in the Labyrinth, Tyson and I," he said. Annabeth stood up and marched over to Grover.

"Still not taller than me, Underwood. You need to step up your game," she said. "How old are you now?"

"About 32, that's 16 in human years," he said.

"At least you're taller than Coach Hedge," I said.

"Oh gods, it would be horrible to be Gleeson's height. I don't think anyone would take me seriously if I was that small," he said. We all laughed.

"IT's his attitude that makes him scary. Boy, am I glad that he's not teaching gym class here. Matt SLoan would wet his pants," Leo joked.

"Matt Sloan..." Grover said absently. "Isn't that the kid who bullied you and Tyson when you were in seventh grade? You know, the one who took Annabeth's picture out of your notebook and used it as spitballs?" Percy blushed bright red.

"Is that the one I punched? Oh, he's so going to get it now," Annabeth said, ignoring the laughter erupting from all of us. I don't know why we found it funny, but the thought of some big, burly kid bullying a little 13 year old Percy and then taking his future girlfriend's picture from his notebook and ripping it up was kind of amusing.

"You kept a picture of her in your school notebook?! Dude, how did you not know you were madly in love with this girl?!" Leo exclaimed.

"Percy's got a relativly thick skull. But, even I knew that they liked each other, after Annabeth stopped trying to kill him, of course. The whole camp was waiting for them to kiss! You should've seen what we did when Percy finally got up his courage. Their conversation was SO funny!" Grover said.

"Thanls for that, by the way," Percy said dryly.

"What? What did you guys do?" Leo asked excitedly.

"Oh, we all just eavsdropped on them until they kissed, carried them on our shoulders, and threw them in the lake. And, being the son nof Poseidon, Percy made an airbubblle at the bottom of the lake. Then, they kissed and, this is a direct quote from Percy, it was the best underwater kiss of all time," Grover said, grinning broadly.

"Best underwater kiss, huh, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth said and nudged Percy.

"Duh, Wise Girl, I shared it with you," he said and leaned in to kiss her.

"Aww, Percy, you've finally reached super sappy boyfriend level!" I said with false excitment.

"Jeez, Piper, I thought you loved this mushy gushy stuff, being the daughter of Aphrodite and all," Percy said, feinging hurt.

"Please, I am nothing like Lacy or Drew. And I only like that romantic stuff when it comes from my boyfriend," I said with a wave of my hand.

"So, Annabeth, why do you want beat up Matt Sloan?" Grover asked. "Don't even try to deny it. I felt strong anger coming off all of you the moment his name was mentioned. What's up?"

"Well, I personally want to bash in his skull becuase hewas such a jerk to Tyson, but we all want to hurt him because he recently hospitalized one of our friends. She;s fine, though," Percy said. The mood plumeted even more.

"I see. Well, I'd be happy to help you with that, if the time comes. Anything else new?" Grover asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh yeah, the Big Three were turned into teeenage mortals becuase Hestia said they were acting chilldish. They're the three over there," Thalia said and pointed to the corner table the brothers always sat during lunch.

"They what?! Lord Zeus! Lord Hades! Wait, what? How- I think I need to sit down," Grover said, clutching his head.

"Here, pull up a chair, G-man," Percy said. Grover sat down heavily and put his head in his hands.

"This makes school a lot more stressful," he said.

"I know. I keep worrying that some kid will say a modern term to my father and he'll take it as an insult," Hazel said, frowning.

"Who's your godly parent?" Grover asked.

"Oh, sorry, it's Pluto," Hazel said.

"Huh. So do you do that whole death-shadow-ghost-emo thing that Nico does or are you different becuase you're Roman?" Grover asked.

"Grover!" Nico exclaimed.

"Ha! Even Grover knows you're emo!" Thalia said triumphantly.

"No, he just acts like he's emo. I'm sure if he wanted to, he could ttransform back into the little ten year old we found at Westover Hall who talked non-stop about Mythomagic, attributed everytihng to the word 'cool', and called Mr. D 'the wine dude'," Grover admitted.

"You called him the Wine Dude?" Leo asked. "I'm surprised you're still alive."

"Well, he also said that his 'attack points' or something or other were pretty high on Mythomagic, so Mr. D went easy on him," Percy said.

"What's Mythomagic?" Annabeth asked.

"It's a card game based off of Greek mythology," Frank and Nico said in unison.

"Is it accurate?" Annabeth sounded very curious.

"Not really. It said the Minotaur was stronger than Mr. D," Nico said.

"Well-" Percy started.

"Don't say it," Annabeth snapped, holding up her hand. "I swear you have a death wish sometimes."

"He doesn't have a death wish, he's just to stubborn to back down. Especially when it comes to immortals," Grover said.

"I am not!"

"Name one god or goddess you haven't talked back to that isn't your father or Zeus," Grover challenged.

"Athena. She scares me," Percy said with a shudder.

"Can't stand up to your girlfriend's mom, Jackson?" Jason asked.

"You try, Grace. It'd be like telling Aphrodite she had bad fashion sense," Percy said.

"Okay, I see your point," Jason said.

"We better go, the bell's about to ring," Annabeth said, standing up.

"Annie, we have, like, four minutes," Thalia said.

"Yeah, but I don't want to be late. And don't call me Annie!" Annabeth said and walked out.

"I better go too. See you, G-man," Percy said.

"Bye, Perce!" Grover called.

"I'm going too," I said. "I'm going to see if I can get some extra credit in math. Dyslexia is not helping in that subject."

"Bye, Beauty Queen," Leo said.

"Shut it, Repair Boy!"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hey, guys! Just got back from my trip two days ago! I should've updated right away, but I was ****_super_**** tired! Anyway, thanks to those who reviwed, favorited and/or followed! Those of you who really want to see Matt SLoan's butt kicked will have to wait a chapter or two, but he will get what he deserves! Um, not much more to announce, but I will be going to Seattle for a week for a family vacation, so I might not update for a little while. Let me know if I should change/ add anything to the plot! Oh, and if you're wondering about the lack of monster attacks, I will explain later! But if you really want some monster action, review and tell me! Happy Reading! R&R! Enjoy!**

Chapter 15

Natalie

I as walking toward my Biology class when I heard a voice call out.

"Nat! Nat, hold up!" it was Matt Sloan, the boy I hated most.

"What. Do. You. Want," I growled, gritting my teeth and trying to stop myself from punching him.

"Whoa, Nat, settle down. You know Jessa, right?" he said, raising his hands. My blood boiled.

"Who? Oh, you mean the girl you almost killed last night? Yeah, I know her, I was at her bedside while she was in a coma with brain trauma for six hours," I said, casually but with a deadly edge to my voice. Sloan looked surprised.

"What? I didn't mean to-" he tried, but I cut him off with a snarl.

"I don't care what you meant to do, you still did it! Jess could've died. What you did, no matter what you intended to do, it's unforgivable," my voice turned small at the end when I really thought of the possibility of her being gone, actually dying. But seeing him, his face in actual shock, broght on another wave of anger.

"I only want to apologize!" he insisted. "Could you tell her-"

"No! She doesn't want to hear your words, neither do I! If you're so worked up at her condition, tell her yourself! But if you think any of us are ever going to forget you, what you did, you better knock some sense into your thick skull before I do it for you! Lay a finger on anyone I care about again, and you won't have the hands to do it a third time!" I yelled at him. He backed away and I felt my anger fading. "Get out of my sight." He scrambled away. I heard him bump into another person behind me before I walked away myself. I hoped it was one of the others, the ones who didn't have over-monitoring, highest-standard-expecting parents like mine, so they could beat him to a pulp.

"Dude, why do even pay attention in that class? It's so boring,"a male voice asked. I heard footsteps rounding the corner so I ducked into an empty classroom.

"Latin is interesting and easy for me," a different voice responded.

"Yeah, but, the Greek myths? They're so lame," the first boy said.

"What's so lame about them? The olympians are mighty and powerful, especially the king of the Underworld," the other one countered, this time with a tinge of anger in his voice.

"Hades?" he asked except he pronounced it like one would when saying the word shades. "No, he's the lamest of them all, not counting the minor gods and girly Afro-something."

"You dare insult a god! A god who can end your puny mortal life with a wave of his hand! Have you no respect for the ways of life, the ways of the world around you?" the voice boomed. Even I flinched, but I could tell the target of the boy's full and forceful attention and fury was cowering.

"Woah, I know your name is spelled like his and all, but no need to get all mad and- OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!" I heard him shout and the footstepsscrambling away. I was afraid to look, butcuriosity got the better of me. I peeked out of the classroom and nearly screamed. Hades Olympia was engulfed in a black cloud of flame and shadows. At his feet, a skeleton was poking it's hand through the tile. I stepped out of the classroom in horror and ran the other way only to slam into someone. It was Poseidon, Hades' brother, but his image was shifting back and forth from a sixteen year old and a middle aged man with black hair, ablack beard, and smile wrinkles around his eyes. I blinked and he turned back to normal.

"Natalie," he said. "My apologies, I wasn't looking where I waas going. Are you alright?" He extended his hand. I reached to take it but stopped myself. I had realized my fingers were shaking. He looked even more worried. "Is something wrong?" I couldn't bring myself to lie to him.

"Y- your b-brother," I said, pointing around the corner. "Shadows and a skeleton and black f-fire." His face hardened and he nodded.

"I'm so sorry about that," he said and snapped his fingers. "There was no skeleton or fire, the shadows were completely normal. Hades Olympia is sixteen and not scary." I felt dizzy and strange, but I believed him. It was just a trick of the light, there was nothing to be scared of.

Annabeth

Grover being at school was going to be amazing. It could be just like the old times, Percy Grover, and me together for the first time in months. Things would've been great, I mean we were going to study the Greek myths and the Iliad in English class. But things weren't. Somehow, everything that could possibly go wrong, managed to.

"Alright, you've heard of Greece," Paul said, introducing the new unit. The class agreed with shouts of Yeah or yes. "Well the ancient Greek people had a very complex religion we now call Greek mythology. We'll be studying that complex religion for the next few months. You'll be reading ancient Greek texts and I want an essay on how the Greek religion applies to the modern world." I could imagine that essay prompt: Give a reason why Greek mythology applies to the modern world and provide proof to support your answer. Reason: The gods are still alive. Proof: Me. It almost made me smile.

"Mr. Blofis?" a girl in the front row asked. "The stories of Greek mythology are quite contradicting, which version will we be learning about?"

"Don't worry. If you have any questions you can ask me or Percy and Annabeth," Paul assured. Everyone turned to stare at us and I felt a little awkward. "Now," Paul tried to bring the attention back to the lesson. "You'll need to know some primary details about Greek mythology. I know you've done some in Latin class, if you take that class, but I want to be sure. Can anyone name all the Olympians. Percy and I raised our hands along with Mika, Abi, Trisha, and a few others. "Yes, Mika, you start."

"The twelve main Olympian gods are Zeus, Poseidon, Hera," she said Hera's name with distaste which made like her even more, "Demeter, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Haephestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Dionysus. But Hades was one of the six children of Kronos, only outcasted becuase he bacame Lord of the Underworld."

"Very good, Mika," Paul said, but he noticed my and Percy's hand still in the air. "Did she miss something, Annabeth?"

"Yes, Mr. Blofis. Although that is a very good description of the Olympian council, there is one goddess who is very often overlooked. Hestia was the Twelvth Olympian until she gave up her throne for Dionysus who was made a god, not born one, to prevent a civil war," I said. Paul nodded.

"Good. Now, a trickier question. Who can tell me all parts of the Underworld?" Paul asked. I raised my hand again. This time, he called on the same girl who had asked the earlier question.

"There is the feilds of Asphodel, the Feilds of Punishment, Elysium, the Isles of the Blesses, and Tartarus," as soon as that word left her mouth, I couldn't see the classroom anymore. I saw a firery red sky, purpleish, veiny ground, and monster blisters everywhere. I saw the river Phlegethon burning a crevice through the rock, and Percy standing beside me worn and tired and wounded. Worst of all, Bob and Damasen appeared through the haze. I wanted to cry tell them I didn't want them to die, but I couldn't. I couldn't move, couldn't talk, couldn't bring myself back to reality. THe monsters were closing in on me, the air was poisonous and all too real. I wanted to scream, or sobb, or curl up in a dark hole and never come out. My head was spinning and then I heard a voice.

"Annabeth," it said, and I felt someone shaking my shoulders.

"No," I muttered. "No, no, no! Get me out of here! Percy! Percy!" I sat bolt upright in a cold room, lying on a rubbery bed with plastic on it. Piper was beside me, a concerned look on her face.

"Annabeth, what happened?" she asked.

"The pit," I whispered. "Greek mythology lesson. The five parts of the Underworld." Surprise and then anger and finally sympathy crossed her face. Before she could say anything I got straight to the point, "Percy?"

"He's okay. Shaken up, but okay. Grover's with him in the other room. I take it you want to see him," It wasn't a question, but a statement. If he was concious, I needed to see him. I got up shakily and walked to the other door. As soon as I opened it, Grover was there.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded.

"I-I'm sorry, Grover," I said, tears streaming down my face. Grover's image started to fade, but he gripped my shoulder.

"Annabeth, stay with me!" he said forcefully.

"Percy," I croaked. he led me over to a bed similar to the one I had been in. Sitting on it, his head in his hands, was my Seaweed Brain. He looked up and smiled.

"Hey, Wise Girl," he said shakily. My vision cleared. I was in a medical room, presumably the nurse's office. I realized how shaken Percy was. After countless fights and monsters and gods and whatever else the fates had thrown at us, I had never seen him this scared. That thought made me recognize my own fear and desperation. And it made me angry. I was supposed to be a hero, a savior of Olympus, I couldn't break down like this everytime someone mentions that pit.

"Look at us," I said, sitting down beside him. "We're really falling apart. Some heroes."

"Don't say that," Grover scolded. "Facing this, just a memory, is more than most demigods would be able to stand. You found a way out, you can do it again." A loud bang echoed around the room.

"Grover, open the door already!" Thalia's voice shouted. Grover groaned.

"Want me to let her in?" he asked.

"I don't know, she sounded pretty murderous," Percy muttered.

"I heard that, Kelp Head!" she yelled. I stifled a laugh.

"Good," Percy yelled back. "Come on in, Pinecone Face!" She slammed open the door, her face angry, but not enraged.

"Annie," she started, but stopped when she saw my face. "What happened?" Before I could answer, Grover stepped in.

"Um, Thalia, we should talk-" I cut him off.

"No," I said. "Grover, you're right. I, I think this will help." I looked at Percy,"You ready to face this?" He nodded. I sighed. "Thals, bring in the others and try not to kill anyone." She nodded and rushed out.

"You sure, Annabeth?" Grover asked. I nodded. Piper came from the other room and everyone else filed in.

"Alright," I started. "You know we fell into..." I swallowed hard," Tartarus, but we haven't told you the details." I smiled at them and took Percy's hand. "You guys deserve to know." It was amazing how fluid the words came from my memory to my mouth and how well Percy and I recounted the story, moving from one monster to the next, like we had rehearsed it.

"Oh, Annie," Thalia said when we finished. She hugged me tight.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" I asked. "Don't. Call. Me. Annie!" She laughed, tears escaping her eyes.

"Wow, sis. I don't think I've ever seen you cry," Jason joked. Thalia punched his arm.

"Shut up, Sparky," she said.

"Well, that's enough depression for one day," Leo said.


End file.
